The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the world’s largest and highest-energy particle accelerator complex, intended to collide opposing beams of protons with very high kinetic energy. Its main purpose is to explore the validity and limitations of the Standard Model, the current theoretical picture for particle physics. It is theorized that the collider will confirm the existence of the Higgs boson, the observation of which could confirm the predictions and missing links in the Standard Model, and could explain how other elementary particles acquire properties such as mass.

A few facts about LHC

• LHC is built by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN).
• Lies underneath  the Franco – Swiss border near Geneva.
• Number of Physicists participating in this experiment are over 8000.
• First beams were circulated through the collider on 10th September 2008.
• Total span of the collider is a whooping 27 Kilometers.
• 1600 Super conducting magnets are installed inside the collider.
• Weight of each magnet is over 27 tonnes.
• Amount of liquid helium needed to keep the magnets at their operating temperature is 96 tonnes.

Check out the following videos to know more about this awe inspiring scientific experiment which could provide a glimpse into the creation of our universe.

and now, a  humorous but equally relevant video …