A space telescope seeks to discover what happened in the first minutes following the Big Bang
Astronomers have been observing the Universe for centuries. In the past, they could only study visible light with the naked eye. With increasingly sophisticated telescopes, they could observe a much broader portion of the electromagnetic spectrum-beyond what the human eye can see. This spectrum includes everything from X-rays and radio waves to infrared and ultraviolet radiation.
These other wavelengths reveal a lot about the universe. Starting from this principle, a number of international partners, including Canada, France, and the United States, have joined forces to create the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) Telescope. Their aim? To discover our cosmic origins.
Whirlpool Galaxy
(Photo: Hubble Space Telescope, NASA and the European Space Agency)
FUSE is orbiting 775 km above Earth. Its ground receiving station is located in Puerto Rico. One orbit takes 100 minutes.
With its high sensitivity and great powers of resolution, unequalled at the time of its design, FUSE is providing Canadian astronomers with new perspectives. They can now explore many unanswered questions: What were the conditions like in the first few minutes after the Big Bang? How are the chemical elements dispersed throughout galaxies, and how does this affect the way galaxies evolve? What are the properties of interstellar gas clouds out of which stars and our solar system form?
The FUSE science team is addressing these questions by studying deuterium, an extremely rare gas. This heavy form of hydrogen was a direct product of the Big Bang. Astronomers believe that traces of deuterium in the universe are decreasing over time, but they don't know how fast, and how much deuterium has already disappeared.
Magellanic Clouds
(Photo: Hubble Space Telescope, ESA, NASA)
FUSE being prepared for launch
Canada's Lead Scientist is John Hutchings of the National Research Council of Canada's Herzberg Astrophysics Institute. The mission's Principal Investigator is Warren Moos of Johns Hopkins University
in Maryland.
FUSE, a NASA satellite constructed in cooperation with France and Canada as part of the Origins program, was launched on June 24, 1999, from Cape Canaveral.
FUSE ready to be launched at Cape Canaveral.
FUSE is looking for traces of deuterium near the Sun and in the gas clouds of the Milky Way and distant galaxies. By measuring the amount of deuterium in interstellar clouds relative to known quantities of hydrogen and other chemical elements, astronomers will be able to estimate how much deuterium has been destroyed since the Big Bang.
Canada's contribution to the FUSE mission is crucial. We supplied the fine error sensors (FES)-basically the "eyes" of the spacecraft. This technology provides the highly accurate images of stars that serve as reference points to direct and stabilize the satellite platform. With them, FUSE makes extremely sharp scientific observations.
In 2003, the FUSE mission was extended so we can receive more novel and fascinating data!
