Scottish scientists have created the most comprehensive 3D map of the universe — Daily Star
An international team of scientists, including researchers from the University of St. Andrews, has unveiled the largest map of the visible universe ever created.
The Daily Star reports on this.
This unique visualization covers 47 million galaxies and quasars, allowing for a detailed study of the structure of our universe.
The large-scale project was carried out as part of the international DESI (Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument) collaboration. Experts from over 70 scientific institutions worldwide, including the University of California, Berkeley, were involved in the work.
The main instrument used in the study was the Mayall Telescope, located in Arizona. Over the course of five years, the device collected data on millions of cosmic objects to study the nature of the mysterious dark energy.
The initial plan for the experiment, which began in May 2021, was to record light from 34 million celestial bodies. However, the scientists managed to significantly exceed their own expectations, adding 47 million objects to the database.
In addition to galaxies and quasars, the map contains information on the locations of about 20 million stars. This volume of data allows us to trace the evolution of the universe over vast spans of time.
Rita Tojeiro, a professor of astronomy at the University of St. Andrews, noted: “There is no doubt that the DESI project has a huge impact on cosmology. In addition to being a revolutionary cosmological project, another remarkable feature of DESI is that this new three-dimensional map opens up opportunities for world-class scientific research.”
The data obtained allows scientists to analyze the patterns of cosmic structure formation. This paves the way for understanding exactly how galaxies have evolved under the influence of invisible forces over billions of years.
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