Underground telescope could peer beyond the Big Bang (the Einstein Telescope)

Underground telescope could peer beyond the Big Bang

The ambitious new device is designed to detect gravitational waves – an elusive phenomena created by some of the most violent events in the universe such as black holes, neutron stars and the Big Bang.


Although they have never been directly detected, these waves of gravity are thought to echo through the universe like ripples from a stone thrown into a pond and they could provide scientists with a new way of mapping the sky.


The telescope, which is likely to cost between £500 million and £1 billion to build, will be built inside a network of tunnels 12 miles long and buried up to half a mile underground to dampen any interference from vibrations on the surface.


The project is expected to rival the Large Hadron Collider, the 17 mile particle smasher on the French Swiss Border that was switched on in 2008, in its scale and ambition.


Physicists claim the telescope will give them the first chance to see a black hole, which until now have only been detected indirectly because of the stars and debris orbiting them, and see into the centre of powerful stars known as neutron stars.

I found this part cool -

The telescope, called the Einstein Telescope, could also reveal for the first time whether there were universes in existence before our own by looking for the echoes of previous Big Bangs similar to the one that created our own universe 13.7 billion years ago.

Nice find any timing on when it would be complete?

I thought this was pretty cool.. Technological advancement is getting faster and faster and we are now seeking out today what was only dreamed about 5 years ago.

Now, if we can merge the quantum advancements, the space program, darpa and find a benevolent alien species to help us tie it all together so we can go explore.

reply to post by Ophiuchus 13


As of the article, no definative time line. Its still in the planning stages, with 14 possible locations. The size of the telescope is to rival the CERN, which is intresting - an underground telescope.

It will supposedly be able to detect gravitational waves, which will allow scientists to view a black hole, which imo would be pretty kick arse.

Professor Alberto Vecchio, an expert on gravitational waves at Birmingham University who is among those leading the search to find the first gravitational waves, said: "Gravitational waves are essentially a different kind of broadcast channel coming from objects in space and allow us to build an entirely new class of telescope.

"It should allow us to see black holes, as they are among the strongest sources of gravitational waves and we will also be able to see neutron stars just moments before they collapse.

"Previous attempts to detect gravitational waves on the surface have produced difficulties because clouds or aircraft passing overhead have produced readings. Going underground where it is very quiet means we can build a very sensitive instrument."

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but i think this project was just downscaled and/or delayed because NASA is having budget cuts. So Europeans are on their own i guess. Damn NASA is something they shouldn't be cutting right now!

www.space.com...

reply to post by XRaDiiX


The targeted locations for this were in Europe and South America if I remember right. Either or, as long as we are still a part of it, something is better than nothing.