University of Michigan
Star trails take shape around the 14-story Mayall Telescope dome in this long-exposure image. The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument was installed inside this dome. Image credit: P. Marenfeld and NOAO/AURA/NSF
A five-year quest to map the universe and unravel the mysteries of “dark energy” is beginning officially today, and University of Michigan researchers were instrumental in the project’s development.
The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, or DESI, is an international collaboration under the aegis of the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory with primary funding from DOE’s Office of Science. The project aims to create a 3D map of the universe, unraveling the mysterious dark energy. To complete its quest, the instrument will capture and study the light from tens of millions of galaxies and other distant objects in the universe.