Astronomers have unveiled the largest three-dimensional map of the universe, created by the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) located in Arizona’s Sonoran Desert. This project, which has been ongoing for five years, aims to understand dark energy, a mysterious force believed to drive the accelerated expansion of the universe. The new map features 5.6 trillion pixels and includes approximately 4 billion celestial objects, covering about 75 percent of the sky and capturing both visible light and near-infrared wavelengths.
Despite its extensive coverage, the map does not include certain areas of space obscured by stars, dust, and other matter within our galaxy. Researchers have oriented DESI’s instruments to capture clearer images of distant space. The project builds on 13 years of previous research and has involved over 160 scientists, resulting in more than 1,800 published scientific papers referencing the data.
David Schlegel, a researcher at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and co-lead of the Legacy Surveys, stated, "It’s part of the fabric of astronomy research now." Earlier this year, DESI released another map detailing the distances of 47 million galaxies and quasars, which reconstructed 11 billion years of cosmic history and highlighted the effects of dark energy.
Data from the first three years of DESI’s survey, along with observations of supernovae and radiation from the Big Bang, suggest that dark energy may not be constant but could be weakening over time. A comprehensive analysis of the full five years of data is expected to be published in 2027. Future observations from DESI will also serve as a reference for other cosmic projects, including NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Researchers plan to utilize artificial intelligence tools to expedite the analysis of the large-scale astronomical data, which still holds many discoveries.
Arjun Day, co-director of Legacy Surveys and an astronomer with the National Science Foundation, remarked, "These data are fundamental to the investigation of the expansion history of the universe and the formation of our galaxy. But the skies belong to everyone, and this survey gives everyone the chance to marvel at their wonders."