DESI Expands the Largest Cosmic Survey Yet<\/p>\n
As explained by David Schlegel <\/a>of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, previous maps of the universe contained data for roughly 5 million galaxies. Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI)<\/a> increases that number almost tenfold, making it the largest spectroscopic survey ever completed. He told New Scientist <\/a>that astronomy has followed a steady trend of producing dramatically larger maps every decade. He noted that:<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve actually been on this curve now for my whole career where, every 10 years, we\u2019re making 10-times-larger maps,\u201d he said. \u201cYou can ask the question, at what point have you mapped every observable galaxy within 10 billion light years\u2026 and if we stayed on the curve, we would do that by 2061.\u201d<\/p>\n Some of the galaxies observed during the DESI survey were extremely faint. Scientists reconstructed several distant objects using as few as 100 to 200 photons detected by the instrument. The observations required precise measurements because of the enormous distances involved.<\/p>\n Although the main five-year survey is now complete, researchers said the data still requires extensive processing. The scientific community is expected to gain broader access to the results after another year of analysis.<\/p>\n Dark Energy Results Shake the Standard Model<\/p>\n One of the primary objectives of DESI is to study dark energy<\/a>, the poorly understood phenomenon believed to account for around 70 percent of the universe. As mentioned in the statement<\/a>, an earlier DESI dataset released in 2024 suggested that dark energy may be weakening over time instead of remaining constant. That possibility would directly challenge the current standard model of cosmology, known as Lambda-CDM.<\/p>\n Researchers plan to use the completed map<\/a> to investigate the issue more thoroughly by comparing galaxy distributions from different periods in cosmic history. The larger dataset is expected to improve the statistical accuracy of those studies. Scientists involved in the project have not yet reached a final conclusion regarding the behavior of dark energy. The new observations are expected to provide stronger evidence for future analysis.<\/p>\n Researchers Adapt To An Era Flooded With Astronomical Data<\/p>\n For astronomers, the scale of the project also reflects how rapidly observational science has changed over recent decades. Ofer Lahav<\/a> of University College London described the contrast between earlier galaxy surveys and modern datasets. Speaking to New Scientist, Lahav said that when he was a PhD student in Cambridge around 40 years ago, astronomers worked with samples containing only thousands of galaxies. At the time, researchers lacked sufficient observational data for many large-scale cosmological studies.<\/p>\n Today, the situation is very different. Massive surveys such as DESI generate enormous volumes of information that require advanced methods of analysis and data management. Lahav noted that younger scientists may now face the opposite problem: having access to more data than can easily be processed.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/A-new-desi-cosmic-map-places-earth-at-the-heart-of-a-vast-galaxy-survey.webp.webp\")
A new DESI cosmic map places earth at the heart of a vast galaxy survey. Credit: Claire Lamman\/DESI collaboration<\/p>\n![\"Scientists](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Scientists-use-desis-largest-ever-3d-map-to-study-the-universes-expansion.jpg.webp.webp\")
Scientists use desi\u2019s largest-ever 3d map to study the universe\u2019s expansion. Credit: DESI collaboration and KPNO\/NOIRLab\/NSF\/AURA\/R. Proctor<\/p>\n