This allows it to establish precise details of the universe's composition that were previously known only roughly.
If we are to accept the Big Bang theory on the creation of the universe, what composition of pre-existing matter caused this explosion?
The dark (nonluminous) matter component of the universe, whose composition remains unknown, is not considered sufficient to close the universe and cause it to collapse; it now appears to contribute only a fourth of the density needed for closure.
"It's astounding that we can glimpse such an early stage of the universe through the composition of this star," says Catherine Pilachowski of Indiana University in Bloomington.
Twenty-seven percent of the universe's matter-energy composition is matter.
What do we know today about our universe's dimensions and composition?
Licia Verde, a cosmologist at the University of Pennsylvania, examines the varied composition of the universe, including dark energy and dark matter, as well as how the universe formed and how it continues to evolve.
Scientists leading the project hope to be able to recreate conditions immediately after the big bang and provide answers to key questions on the composition of the universe.
Nuclear reactions in the early stages of the expansion lead to a rather well-defined initial chemical composition for the universe.
Dark matter makes up 26.5 percent of the matter-energy composition of the universe; the rest is dark energy (73 percent) and "ordinary" visible matter (0.5 percent).
Reference is made in this article to the chemical composition of the universe, but most of the observations refer to our own and neighbouring galaxies.
