12 February 2024 was a spectacular night for DESI: it broke its own record and acquired nearly 200,000 redshifts in a single night. The figure is remarkable, especially in the context of history. Forty years ago, the first and second CfA redshift surveys acquired spectra of 2200 and 15,000 galaxies respectively, giving us the first […]
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The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI)
The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) will measure the effect of dark energy on the expansion of the universe. It will obtain optical spectra for tens of millions of galaxies and quasars, constructing a 3D map spanning the nearby universe to 11 billion light years.The DESI Survey is being conducted on the Mayall 4-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. DESI is supported by the Department of Energy Office of Science to perform this Stage IV dark energy measurement using baryon acoustic oscillations and other techniques that rely on spectroscopic measurements.
"DESI Early Data Release Holds Nearly Two Million Objects
The first batch of data from DESI is now available for researchers to mine. Taken during the experiment’s Survey Validation phase, the data include distant galaxies and quasars as well as stars in our own Milky Way."
See the Press Release from Lawrence Berkeley National Lab
DESI Science
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5000 Eyes: Mapping the Universe with DESI is out now!
DESI's very own planetarium show is available for free to all planetariums. See the trailer and find more information here.
Translations in French, Spanish, Mandarin, and German are now available.
Highlights
DESI Begins
Latest Blog Posts
BaoBan Spotted at the Tohono O’odham Rodeo
16 February 2024 BaoBan, DESI’s ambassador for Education and Public Outreach, made a recent appearance at the 85th Annual Tohono O’odham Nation Rodeo and Parade, featuring prominently in the parade entry from Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO). A coyote from the wilds of Arizona, BaoBan has previously appeared in comic strips and other DESI-related public engagement […]
A very nearby Type II Supernova in the Galaxy Messier 101
Dillon Brout, Harvard University June 16, 2023 The universe (and especially Messier 101) never ceases to amaze us. Recently, a remarkable Type II supernova event unfolded in the nearby “Pinwheel galaxy” (M101), captivating astronomers worldwide. We are just 12 years removed from the famed supernova 2011fe residing in M101 and that sparked its own paradigm […]
Latest Press Releases
DESI Early Data Release Holds Nearly Two Million Objects
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 13 June 2023
New DESI Planetarium Show to Premiere in 2023
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 27 February 2023
DESI Resumes Cataloguing the Cosmos
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 7 October 2022
Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument Creates Largest 3D Map of the Cosmos
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 13 January 2022