From the first observations of the sky to contemporary astrophysics, the question of astronomical distances is one of the most important, fascinating and difficult. Precise knowledge of astronomical distances is essential to know the true physical nature of objects in the universe. With each improvement in the accuracy of the distance scale, new fields of research in astrophysics open up.

The UniverScale project brings together experts in several techniques for estimating cosmic distances, from stars our own Milky Way galaxy to distant galaxies and quasars. The project team includes researchers from Poland, France and Chile, whose combined expertise will allow to build an extremely robust and accurate distance scale up to cosmological distances. To collect the large amount of data needed, this broad international collaboration also opens up privileged access to the best telescopes on the planet installed in northern Chile.

The success of this ambitious program will have a significant impact on several key areas of modern astrophysics. The most recent determinations of the present rate of expansion of the universe, the famous Hubble constant H0, show a considerable difference of 10% with the value deduced from observations of the cosmic microwave background by the European satellite Planck. The discoveries expected from the UniverScale project could revolutionize our understanding of the fundamental nature of the universe, and in particular of the enigmatic dark energy.

ERC project : Sub-percent calibration of the extragalactic distance scale in the era of big surveys (UniverScale)