Astronomers create the largest 3D map of the universe

You may have heard of Dark Energy Spectroscopy Instrument (DESI) from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory School of Energy. We reported on the project in 2016 when a team of scientists 5000 mini robots have been launched In space to help develop the first map of the extraterrestrial universe.

Then, in 2017, we reported on the progress of the project 3D mapping of cosmic dust for our galaxy. The map successfully maps all the dust in our galaxy to show the vastness of deep space and to measure the accelerating rate of expansion of the universe.

Now revealed by DESI I finally made it The largest and most detailed map of the universe ever created. While the achievement is impressive, DESI reports that only 10% have been achieved through its five-year mission.

“There’s a lot of beauty in it,” said Julian Gay, a researcher at Berkeley Lab. The distribution of galaxies on the 3D map includes massive clusters, filaments, and voids. They are the largest structures in the universe. But they have an imprint on the early universe and its expansion history since then.”

DESI had to overcome many obstacles to achieve this remarkable feat. During the coronavirus pandemic, the telescope had to be turned off and only in December 2020 could the exploration of the sky begin again. Fortunately, despite these issues, he was ready to begin research by May 2021.

However, this was not the end of the DESI team’s contribution to the telescope. “It’s the work in progress that keeps the machine running,” concluded physicist Klaus Hünscheid of Ohio State University, an instrument scientist on the project. It is a function that has paid off well, providing an unprecedented map that will one day help us understand The past and future of the universe.