European telescope launched to hunt for clues to universe’s darkest secrets

By MARCIA DUNN
AP Aerospace Writer

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A European space telescope has blasted off to explore the mysterious and invisible realm known as the dark universe. SpaceX launched the European Space Agency’s Euclid observatory on Saturday from Cape Canaveral, Florida. It should reach its destination 1 million miles away in a month and begin its six-year survey this fall. Named for antiquity’s Greek mathematician, Euclid will scour billions of galaxies covering more than one-third of the sky. By pinpointing the locations and shapes of galaxies up to 10 billion light-years away, scientists hope to glean insight into the dark energy and dark matter that make up most of the universe.