Astronomical Effort: 3D Map of the Universe

It's the most detailed map ever made and it will help astronomers investigate a cosmic mystery: dark energy.

Earth is at the center, and each point marks a galaxy.

The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) spent five years observing the sky from Arizona and scientists have now been able to generate the largest-ever high-resolution 3D map of the universe, which spans 11 billion years of cosmic history. Teams will now start processing this gargantuan amount of data, shedding further light on one of science’s greatest mysteries: dark energy, a mysterious ingredient thought to make up around 70 percent of the universe.

DESI finished its celestial survey last month after capturing more than 47 million galaxies and quasars - ultrabright objects powered by matter funneling into black holes - as well as 20 million stars. That is actually significantly more data than the huge team of collaborators had originally aimed for.

DESI has already yielded game-changing scientific information. Observations collected during its first three years suggest that dark energy - previously thought to be constant - is actually weakening. If proven true, this knowledge of would dramatically change our understanding of the cosmos, since the mysterious force is thought to drive the universe’s accelerated expansion.

Overall, DESI’s data will help scientists compare how galaxies dot the sky today versus how they did long ago so they can trace how the universe has evolved, going nearly all the way back to its birth 13.8 billion years ago.

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Image credit: DESI Collaboration and DESI Member Institutions / DOE/KPNO / NOIRLab / NSF / AURA / R. Proctor, Image Processing: M. Zamani (NSF NOIRLab)