DESI 3D Map of the Universe. © DESI collaboration and KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/R. Proctor
The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) has completed the largest 3D map of the universe ever made, earlier than expected.
After five years of observations, DESI reached its main goal of mapping the cosmos to better understand dark energy, the mysterious force causing the universe to expand faster over time. Even though the map is done, the mission isn’t over. Scientists will keep studying the data to uncover more answers.
Mounted on the Nicholas U. Mayall Telescope in Arizona, DESI uses 5,000 tiny optical fibers to capture light from distant objects. It ended up recording around 47 million galaxies and quasars, plus over 20 million nearby stars, far more than the original estimate of 34 million objects.
Researchers are now preparing to analyze the full dataset. Early results already suggest that dark energy may behave in ways current theories can’t fully explain, which could force scientists to rethink our understanding of the universe.
Dark energy is still one of the biggest mysteries in physics. It makes up about 70% of the universe and is believed to be responsible for pushing galaxies apart at an ever-increasing speed.
This visualization shows how DESI’s map of the Universe was accumulated over five years. It begins with DESI’s tiles on the night sky, each observing around 5000 galaxies.
Why it matters:
This massive map gives scientists a powerful new tool to study how the universe evolved and could lead to major breakthroughs in our understanding of its structure, origin, and ultimate fate.
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