Have we got dark energy wrong? NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope may help us find out
NASA has launched the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope to investigate the nature of dark energy and its role in the universe's expansion. Scientists hope the data will confirm or challenge existing cosmological models regarding dark matter and dark energy.
Why it matters
This mission could fundamentally change our understanding of physics and the evolution of the universe.
The Roman space telescope launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sunday, local time. ( Supplied: NASA/John Kraus )
Link copied Share Share article In the late 90s, a space telescope helped flip our understanding of the universe on its head.
Data from the newly minted Hubble Space Telescope, along with a range of ground-based telescopes, showed the universe's expansion was not slowing down as previously thought.
It was speeding up, driven by a shadowy phenomenon dubbed "dark energy".
The astrophysicists who discovered this acceleration, including Australian Brian Schmidt, won the 2011 Nobel prize for their efforts.
But data from our latest galactic maps suggest even the small amount we think we know about dark energy could be wrong.
Nearly 30 years after the dark energy discovery, NASA's new telescope, which was launched overnight, may help solve the mystery.
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