The Large Hadron Collider: Answer to the Mysteries of the Universe, Or the End of the World?

Right now, there is an unbelievably complex machine with an unimaginable amount of power bordering France and Switzerland. This awesome device is called the Large Hadron Collider. It has a circumference of 17 miles (27 kilometers), and, at its deepest, it goes 175 meters underground.


It contains two adjacent beam pipes and 1232 bending magnets. It requires 1600 superconducting magnets, 90 tons of liquid helium, and a temperature of -456.25 F. This machine's sole purpose is to produce high-energy particle collisions to study subatomic particles' construction. Its kinda like smashing a watch with a hammer to see how the watch was made. Another thing that the LHC may achieve is the discovery of the Higgs Boson particle. This is the particle, if discovered, will confirm all of the "missing links" of physics. It can explain how particles acquire mass. The Higgs Boson particle will also help us search for the Grand Unified Theory.


This machine's first major test will begin on September 10 of this year, and the result is sure to be a surprise. Some believe that it has enough raw power to develop a small black hole within the Collider which would quickly eat up the Collider, France, Switzerland, Europe, then onto the world. Others believe it might explode, and others have actually taken legal action. Most, however, believe that it is a vital step that we must take to unlock the secrets of our world, and the rest of the universe. The Large Hadron Collider has passed all safety tests, but that doesn't stop the public from worrying about power which we haven't yet explored.


Here is an awesome picture gallery of this truly amazing piece of machinery: Boston.com