Euclid (spacecraft)

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/euclid-spacecraft

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the spacecraft category?Medium-class ('M-class') mission within ESA's Science Programme
2. What is the launch date?July 1, 2023
3. What is Euclid and what does it do?Euclid is a space telescope that looks for invisible stuff like dark matter and dark energy by measuring the shapes and distances of billions of galaxies.
4. Why does Euclid use a 600‑megapixel camera?The big camera lets Euclid see the tiny distortions in galaxy shapes caused by gravity, helping scientists study how the universe is shaped.

Gravitational Lensing: The bending of light from distant objects by the gravity of massive objects in the foreground, distorting their appearance.
Equation of State for Dark Energy: A parameter that describes how the pressure of dark energy changes with its density, crucial for understanding its behavior.
Cosmic Vision Program: ESA's long-term planning initiative for space science missions, outlining scientific goals for the next decades.