JOURNAL ARTICLE

Astronomers complete largest 3D map of the universe ever made: Five-year quest to chart 47 million galaxies yields insights into mysterious "dark energy".

  • Published In: Sciencemag.org, 2026. P. N.PAG 1 of 3

  • Database: Applied Science & Technology Source Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Clery, Daniel 3 of 3

Abstract

The article focuses on the completion of the largest-ever map of the universe by the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), which cataloged 47 million galaxies over five years using the 4-meter Nicholas U. Mayall Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. DESI aims to study dark energy by measuring galaxy distributions to understand how the universe's expansion rate has changed over time, with preliminary results suggesting that dark energy's influence may vary rather than remain constant. The instrument uses 5,000 robotic fiber-optic sensors to capture light spectra from individual galaxies, enabling precise distance measurements and a three-dimensional cosmic map. Researchers anticipate further analysis of the new data to clarify dark energy’s nature, while DESI continues to observe more challenging regions of the sky to expand the galaxy catalog. [Extracted from the article]

Additional Information

  • Source:Sciencemag.org. 2026/04, pN.PAG
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Social Sciences and Humanities
  • Publication Date:2026
  • Accession Number:193066131
  • Copyright Statement:Copyright of Sciencemag.org is the property of American Association for the Advancement of Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Looking to go deeper into this topic? Look for more articles on EBSCOhost.