- The largest 3D map built from 47 million galaxies and quasars
- Thousands of fiber robotic arms capture light from distant galaxies
- New data could reshape understanding of dark energy behaviorr
Astronomers have produced the largest high-resolution 3D map of the universe ever recorded, after a five-year observation campaign that tracked tens of millions of galaxies.
The project, known as the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, or DESI, focuses on understanding dark energy, the mysterious force behind the accelerating expansion of the universe.
The survey exceeded its initial goals, recording data from more than 47 million galaxies and quasars instead of the 34 million planned. The researchers also collected observations of more than 20 million nearby stars to study the structure of the Milky Way.
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Tiny robot arms
At the center of the project is a system of 5,000 fiber-optic robotic positioners mounted on a telescope in Arizona. These tiny robotic arms move into position about every 20 minutes, aligning optical fibers to capture faint light from distant galaxies.
This light is then fed into spectrographs that split it into its component colors, allowing scientists to calculate the distance between each galaxy and Earth. By combining distance measurements with sky positions, the system creates a layered 3D map showing how matter is distributed throughout the universe.
The telescope used for the project is the Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. Engineers replaced its original camera with DESI’s fiber optic system, allowing it to measure thousands of galaxies at once.
DESI was created to study how galaxies group together at different distances and periods. These patterns act as markers of how quickly the universe has expanded in the past, revealing how dark energy has influenced cosmic growth over billions of years.
Previous results from the project suggested that dark energy might not behave as a constant force. Instead of remaining constant, early data suggested that its influence might change over time, although the researchers caution that additional data could further change this conclusion.
The completion of the planned map does not mark the end of the project. Scientists plan to cover additional regions of the sky and capture more distant galaxies.
Future observations will also revisit existing areas to collect denser data and improve the accuracy of recorded measurements to help researchers test whether previous clues about dark energy change persist in the larger dataset.
Via Science.org
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