HETDEX - Hobby-Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment

“ Dark energy is not only terribly important for astronomy, it's the central problem for physics. It's been the bone in our throat for a long time.”

Steven Weinberg
Nobel Laureate
University of Texas at Austin

Video

Karl Gebhardt, HETDEX Project Scientist, explains one idea about what dark energy might be. Play video

Inflation

A sudden and dramatic expansion of the universe after the Big Bang. The "force" that propelled inflation may be related to dark energy.

McDonald Telescopes

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Copyright ©2008-2010 McDonald Observatory. HETDEX is a collaboration of The University of Texas at Austin, Pennsylvania State University, Texas A&M University, Universitats-Sternwärte Munich, Astrophysical Institute Potsdam, and Max-Planck-Institut fuer Extraterrestrische Physik. Financial support is provided by the State of Texas, the United States Air Force, and the generous contributions of many private foundations and individuals.