Astronomers just released the largest two-dimensional map of the universe ever created. This massive data project captures nearly 4 billion cosmic objects across roughly three-quarters of the visible sky.
The map contains 5.6 trillion pixels and represents the result of more than 263,000 individual telescope exposures collected over the past decade. It serves as a visual foundation for researchers studying the history and expansion of the cosmos.
Created by the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument Legacy Imaging Surveys team, this resource is already a standard tool for modern astronomy. Scientists use the high-resolution images to identify targets for further study and to map the distribution of galaxies and quasars.
While the 2D map is an achievement in itself, it also supports the broader 3D mapping mission of the DESI project. By measuring redshifts, astronomers can calculate the distance to these objects, turning a flat view of space into a complex, volumetric model of our universe.
This data is open for public exploration and provides a window into the stars, galaxies, and dark energy that define our physical world. Researchers expect the map to assist in training new artificial intelligence systems and to support thousands of future scientific papers.