Unlocking Secrets of Universe's Dark Ages: NASA Plans to Construct Lunar Telescope on Far Side of Moon

NASA and the US Department of Energy have set their sights on constructing a lunar telescope on the far side of the Moon, with the goal of detecting ancient radio waves that were emitted a mere 380,000 years after the Big Bang.

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NASA, in partnership with the US Department of Energy, has announced plans to construct a state-of-the-art lunar telescope on the far side of the Moon. The telescope's primary objective will be to capture and analyze ancient radio waves that were emitted approximately 380,000 years following the Big Bang.

Unraveling the Universe's Origins: The Dark Ages Signal Search

The study of the universe's origins has always been a complex endeavor, given the limited data available for analysis. Astronomers often form hypotheses by combining small pieces of evidence obtained from astronomical observations. Currently, the best supporting evidence for the Big Bang theory, which explains the universe's formation and rapid expansion about 13.8 billion years ago, is the cosmic microwave background.

During the Dark Ages of the universe, prior to the formation of stars, atoms were just beginning to come together and emit photons. Over time, the energy from these photons has stretched due to the expansion of the universe, creating what is now referred to as the Dark Ages Signal, a hypothetical source of radio energy.

NASA and DoE Collaborate on the LuSEE-Night Project

NASA and the DoE have recently initiated a new project, called the Lunar Surface Electromagnetics Experiment-Night (LuSEE-Night), with the objective of detecting this ancient signal left over from the Big Bang.

"Modeling the universe is easier before stars have formed. We can calculate almost everything exactly," Anže Slosar, a physicist leading the DOE's efforts for the project at Brookhaven National Laboratory, said in a statement."

"So far, we can only make predictions about earlier stages of the universe using a benchmark called the cosmic microwave background. The Dark Ages Signal would provide a new benchmark. And if predictions based on each benchmark don't match, that means we've discovered new physics."

Isolated Location for Detecting Dark Ages Signal

To detect the Dark Ages Signal, scientists need to find a way to distinguish it from other radio sources' noise and interference. This necessitates placing the probe in a location that is exceptionally isolated, such as the far side of the Moon.

"The Moon and Earth are tidally locked, which means that the Moon rotates around its own axis with the same velocity as it does around the Earth," Slosar explained. "This is why we always see the same side of the Moon. But the side we can't see, the lunar far side, is shielded from many sources of radio interference at night by the Moon's own mass."

Challenges of Operating from Far Side of Moon

Operating from the far side of the Moon poses significant challenges due to the harsh environment. The LuSEE-Night telescope must be designed to generate sufficient power to continue operating in extreme temperature variations. In addition, communication with Earth from the far side of the Moon is considerably slower, and astronomers must wait 40 days to receive the first signal back from the probe.

"The Moon is easier to reach than Mars, but everything else is more challenging," said Paul O'Connor, a senior scientist in Brookhaven's Instrumentation Division and LuSEE-Night Project Instrument Scientist.

"There's a reason only one robotic rover has landed on the Moon in the last 50 years, while six went to Mars, which is 100 times farther away. It's a vacuum environment, which makes removing heat difficult, and there's a bunch of radiation."

LuSEE-Night: A Unique Lunar Mission for Cosmic Origins

The aim of the LuSEE-Night project is to deploy a robotic lander on the lunar surface to set up the telescope. The telescope will include four three-meter-long antennas, created by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory researchers, that will unfold to capture radio waves from the Dark Ages Signal. The mission is scheduled to launch in 2025 as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, which seeks to broaden lunar spaceflight contracts to include private companies.

"LuSEE-Night is not a standard radio telescope," Slosar said. "It's more of a radio receiver. It will work like an FM radio, picking up radio signals in a similar frequency band. The spectrometer is at the heart of it. Like a radio tuner, it can separate out radio frequencies, and it turns signals into spectra."

In conclusion, analyzing the collected spectra will enable cosmologists to unravel the most significant mystery of all time: the origins of the universe.