{
  "id": 6130790,
  "title": "Astronomers Have Completed the Largest Map of Space. Yes, You Can Play With It.",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/07/astronomers-have-completed-the-largest-map-of-space-yes-you-can-play",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-07T11:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Wired Science",
    "slug": "wired-science",
    "url": "https://www.wired.com/story/astronomers-complete-largest-map-of-space-yes-you-can-play-with-it/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Deep in Arizona’s Sonoran Desert lies the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), a vast observatory that has spent the last five years charting the cosmos with an ambitious goal: to unravel the secrets of the universe. The fruit of this labor is the most extensive three-dimensional map of the universe to date. Now, with the latest release of the DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys, anyone can dive into this cosmic wonderland via a free online tool.\n\nThis staggering map comprises 5.6 trillion pixels, housing roughly 4 billion celestial objects, including stars, galaxies, black holes, and asteroids. It spans roughly 75 percent of the entire sky, capturing both visible light and near-infrared wavelengths. However, a significant challenge remains—the Milky Way, which distorts our observations with its dense band of stars.\n\nTo overcome this hurdle, DESI’s 5,000 mechanical eyes are strategically positioned above and below our galaxy, capturing some of the clearest images of distant space ever seen. While this survey took five years to complete, it was built upon another 13 years of groundwork. Deploying a team of over 160 scientists, the project has already yielded over 1,800 scientific papers referencing the data.\n\nDavid Schlegel, a researcher at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and co-lead of the Legacy Surveys, noted, “It’s become part of the fabric of astronomy research. When you’re working with astronomical objects today, you often start by pulling up the Legacy Imaging Viewer to see what you’re looking at.” Earlier this year, DESI researchers unveiled another map, projecting the distances of 47 million galaxies and quasars. This reconstruction spans 11 billion years of cosmic history, illuminating the effects of dark energy.\n\nDark energy, the enigmatic force driving the universe’s expansion, has remained elusive. However, DESI’s data, combined with observations of supernovae and the leftover radiation from the Big Bang, suggests that dark energy may be weakening over time. A full analysis of the five-year data, slated for release in 2027, promises to provide an even more detailed picture of the universe’s past and present.\n\nLooking ahead, DESI’s observations will serve as a benchmark for other cosmic projects, such as NASA’s recently launched Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Researchers also plan to harness artificial intelligence to accelerate the analysis of the petabyte-scale astronomical data. As we continue to explore the wonders of the universe, it’s essential to remember that “the skies belong to everyone,” allowing everyone the chance to marvel at the cosmos’ marvels.",
  "summary": "The intricate, 5.6 trillion-pixel map covers approximately 75 percent of the sky and includes about 4 billion celestial objects.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}