DESI Creates Largest 3-D Map of the Cosmos Ever

Sunday - April 14 2024, 06:06 UTC - 9 months ago

DESI, mounted on the 4-meter Mayall telescope in Arizona, has created the largest 3-D map of the cosmos, mapping over 30 million galaxies and 3 million quasars. This monumental task, a collaboration of over 900 researchers, gives us our best view yet of the universe's expansion and the role of dark energy.

The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) mounted on the 4-meter Mayall telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona has achieved the monumental feat of creating the largest 3-D map of the cosmos ever seen. With a robotic array of 5,000 fiber-optic 'eyes' that collect light from galaxies and quasars, DESI has measured the spectra of over 30 million galaxies and 3 million quasars, giving us a better understanding of the universe's expansion and the role of dark energy.

This task was a massive collaboration of over 900 researchers from 70 institutions worldwide, including leadership roles from astronomers at UC Santa Cruz. However, they say this is just the beginning, with more exciting discoveries to come as the project continues. Starting in July, UC Santa Cruz's own Alexie Leauthaud will serve as a spokesperson for the project, with other collaborating professors including Connie Rockosi and J. Xavier Prochaska also playing key roles.

The first year of data analysis has a precision better than 1%, the best view we have ever had of the evolution of the universe. Multiple papers and presentations at major conferences will share the analysis of this groundbreaking data and its implications on our understanding of the cosmos and dark energy.

DESI's advancements have also been highlighted in a 360-degree interactive video, showcasing the millions of galaxies mapped using coordinate data from the instrument.