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Astronomical opportunities

Nature Photonics volume 1, pages 605–607 (2007)Cite this article

Sophisticated imaging technology will be important for the European Space Agency's Cosmic Vision programme, which aims to answer fundamental questions about the Universe and its origins.

Astronomy, the quest to understand the Universe and its evolution, is the mother of all sciences. Most of our information on celestial objects comes through capturing the electromagnetic radiation that planets, stars and galaxies emit. In recent years, placing telescopes in orbit has provided astronomers with an immense leap in their powers of observation. Ten to twenty years from now, a succession of new space observatories are expected to be ready to fly as part of the European Space Agency (ESA) Cosmic Vision programme1, which will run between 2015 and 2025 and will tackle major scientific questions, such as: What are the necessary conditions for planet formation and the emergence of life? How does the Solar System work? What are the fundamental laws of physics of the Universe? How did the Universe originate and what is it made of?

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Figure 1

ESA

Figure 2

ESA

Figure 3: A schematic of the four-telescope interferometer concept.

References

  1. European Space Agency Cosmic Vision: Space Science for Europe 2015-2025 Document BR-247 (ESA publications division, 2005).

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  1. Philippe Gondoin is at the European Space Agency, ESTEC, Noordwijk, 2200 AG, The Netherlands. Philippe.Gondoin@esa.int,

    Philippe Gondoin

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  1. Philippe Gondoin
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Gondoin, P. Astronomical opportunities. Nature Photon 1, 605–607 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2007.207

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2007.207

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