Minister Dijkgraaf talks about the possible Dutch Einstein telescope: “A new chapter in astronomy”

Robert Dijkgraaf is a minister, but as a physicist he also finds this project interesting: “This is the subject I have spent forty years studying. It is very exciting that we are on the cusp of major discoveries in the universe. Necessary questions can be answered, and they will be answered with this telescope.”

The special thing about this telescope is that the device must be underground. Dijkgraaf: “All the telescopes we know of use light to look at stars and other exotic lights. But there is a second way to look at space and that is by listening to vibrations in the universe. It is Einstein’s theory, which we can apply through technical developments.”

New discoveries

By listening to the universe, you hear things you cannot see. Minister Dijkgraaf gives examples: “Black holes and the Big Bang are examples. So, we will discover the dark side of the universe. There is still a lot to discover in the universe, because 95 percent of it is very dark and can now be explored.” “.

Because it’s a new technology, Robert Dijkgraaf also finds it exciting: “We’ve only been looking at the universe for centuries. Now we’re going to listen to the universe. A whole new chapter in astronomy.”