DESI Unveils 3D Universe Map of 47 Million Galaxies to Probe Dark Energy
Updated
Updated · 헤럴드인사이트 · May 9
DESI Unveils 3D Universe Map of 47 Million Galaxies to Probe Dark Energy
5 articles · Updated · 헤럴드인사이트 · May 9
47 million galaxies and quasars—plus 20 million stars and faint objects—are plotted in DESI’s final five-year dataset, creating the largest high-resolution 3D map of the universe across 11 billion years.
That map lets researchers trace how cosmic expansion changed over time, a key test of dark energy after DESI analyses in 2025 suggested the force may evolve rather than remain constant.
DESI beat its original goal of 34 million galaxies and quasars despite COVID disruptions and the 2022 Contreras Fire, using 5,000 robotic fiber-optic positioners on the Mayall Telescope at Kitt Peak.
The survey covers two-thirds of the northern sky and includes about six times as many galaxies and quasars as all previous measurements combined, giving cosmologists a much larger base for follow-up analysis.
DESI will keep observing through 2028, aiming to expand the map by about 20%, push closer to the Milky Way plane and into southern skies, and deepen its search for dark energy’s true nature.
Can this massive new map resolve the 'Hubble tension,' cosmology's crisis over the universe's expansion rate?
Does this new 3D map of 47 million galaxies finally shatter our standard model of the universe?
If dark energy is weakening, is our universe heading for a 'Big Crunch' instead of a slow 'Big Freeze'?
DESI Maps 47 Million Galaxies, Unveils Evidence for Evolving Dark Energy and Challenges Standard Cosmology
Overview
The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) has completed its planned five-year survey, performing better than expected and marking a major advance in our understanding of the universe's expansion and dark energy. By collecting spectra from millions of galaxies across more than a third of the sky, DESI has created the largest and most detailed 3D map of the universe ever made. It scanned 47 million objects, including galaxies and quasars, breaking down their light into spectra to determine their redshift. This allows scientists to map cosmic structures and trace the universe’s history with unprecedented detail.