Europe is launching a revolutionary new space telescope to explore the dark side of the universe. The Athena X-ray Observatory, set for launch in 2031, will be the largest and most powerful X-ray space telescope ever built. It will open up a brand new window into the extreme Universe, enabling scientists to answer some of the most fundamental questions in modern astrophysics. Athena will study the structure and evolution of the Universe, investigate the formation and evolution of black holes, and observe compact objects such as neutron stars and white dwarfs. It will also search for dark matter and dark energy, two of the most mysterious substances in the cosmos. Athena will be the perfect tool to explore these mysteries and uncover some of the Universe’s deepest secrets.

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source: Phys.org