12 September 2008 Successfully steered around the 27 kilometres of the world’s most powerful particle accelerator at 10:28 on 10 Sept 2008, this first beam of protons circulating in the ring marks a key moment in the transition from over two decades of preparation to a new era of scientific discovery. "It’s a fantastic moment," said the LHC project leader Lyn Evans, "we can now look forward to a new era of understanding about the origins and evolution of the universe".