200 most important Astronomy topics - Sykalo Eugen 2023

The Dark Energy Survey Year 1 Results

The Dark Energy Survey (DES) is a large-scale astronomical survey aimed at studying the properties of dark energy, a mysterious force that is causing the expansion of the universe to accelerate. The survey uses a 570-megapixel camera mounted on the Blanco telescope in Chile to capture images of distant galaxies. After analyzing the data collected during the first year of the survey, the DES collaboration has announced some exciting new results.

What is Dark Energy?

Dark energy is a hypothetical form of energy that is thought to permeate all of space and is responsible for the accelerating expansion of the universe. It is called "dark" because it does not emit, absorb or reflect light, making it invisible to telescopes and other instruments that detect electromagnetic radiation.

The Dark Energy Survey

The Dark Energy Survey began in 2013 and is expected to run for five years. The survey covers 5,000 square degrees of the sky, which is roughly one-eighth of the entire sky. The survey is designed to study the properties of dark energy by observing the large-scale structure of the universe, including the distribution of galaxies and the cosmic microwave background radiation.

Year 1 Results

The DES collaboration has analyzed data from the first year of the survey and has released some exciting new results. One of the key findings is the measurement of the clustering of galaxies, which provides important information about the distribution of matter in the universe. The clustering of galaxies is affected by the gravitational pull of dark matter, which is the invisible matter that makes up most of the mass in the universe.

The DES collaboration has also used the survey data to study the properties of supernovae, which are exploding stars that can be used as standard candles to measure cosmic distances. By measuring the brightness of distant supernovae, the DES team has been able to estimate the expansion rate of the universe, which is a key parameter in understanding the nature of dark energy.

Another important result from the first year of the survey is the detection of hundreds of new galaxy clusters, which are the largest structures in the universe held together by gravity. The study of galaxy clusters is important for understanding the evolution of the universe and the properties of dark matter and dark energy.

Implications

The results from the first year of the DES survey are consistent with the current standard model of cosmology, which assumes that dark energy is a form of energy that permeates all of space and is responsible for the accelerating expansion of the universe. However, the results also provide some new constraints on the properties of dark energy, which will help to refine our understanding of this mysterious force.

The DES collaboration is continuing to analyze data from the survey and is expected to release more results in the coming years. These results will provide important new insights into the nature of dark energy and the evolution of the universe.