Scientists hope Euclid telescope will reveal mysteries of dark matter

Scientists prepare Euclid in France before it is taken to its launch site. Photograph: Manuel Pédoussaut/ESA - M. Pédoussaut

In just a few weeks, a remarkable European probe will be blasted into space in a bid to explore the dark side of the cosmos.

The €1bn (£850m) Euclid mission will investigate the universe’s two most baffling components: dark energy and dark matter. The former is the name given to a mysterious force that was shown – in 1998 – to be accelerating the expansion of the universe, while the latter is a form of matter thought to pervade the cosmos, provide the universe with 80% of its mass, and act as a cosmic glue that holds galaxies together.