"5,000 tiny robot arms": How a humble telescope created the largest 3D map of the universe to help unlock dark energy's secrets

Researchers use DESI’s huge 3D map to study dark energy. Earth is at the center of this map, and every point is a galaxy.

• Largest 3D map built using 47 million galaxies and quasars
• Thousands of robotic fiber arms captured light from distant galaxies
• New data could reshape understanding of dark energy behavior

Astronomers have completed the largest high-resolution 3D map of the universe ever recorded, after a five-year observing campaign that tracked tens of millions of galaxies.