
Recently, an international team of researchers has unveiled the most comprehensive 3-dimensional map of the universe, providing valuable insight into the mysteries of dark energy. This development has great potential to uncover the fundamental components and forces that shape our universe.
Components of the Universe:
- The universe is composed of 3 primary components:
- Normal, visible matter:
- It accounts for only 5% of the universe's composition.
- It comprises atomic particles like protons, neutrons, and electrons.
- It can exist in various states, including gas, solid, liquid, and charged particle plasmas.
- Dark matter:
- Estimated to make up 27% of the universe.
- It is invisible and does not interact with light, making direct observation impossible.
- This applies gravitational influence, which affects the movement of stars, gas and galaxies.
- Dark matter is believed to form halos around galaxies and is more prevalent in smaller, dwarf galaxies.
- Dark energy:
- Comprises around 68% of the universe.
- It is a mysterious force that counteracts gravity, leading to the accelerated expansion of the universe.
- Dark energy has an opposite effect to dark matter, pushing galaxies apart rather than pulling them together.
- Its discovery in 1998 was based on measurements of cosmic expansion.
Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI):
- DESI is a unique piece of equipment capable of capturing light from 5,000 galaxies simultaneously.
- It is a collaboration of over 900 researchers from institutions worldwide.
- Mounted on the Mayall 4-Meter Telescope in Arizona, US, DESI has enabled researchers to measure light from 6 million galaxies, some of which existed over 11 billion years ago.
- This data was used to create the most detailed map of the universe to date.
Unravelling the Mysteries:
- The comprehensive 3-D map of the universe offers valuable insights into the spatial distribution of galaxies and can shed light on the mysteries of Dark Energy.
- Dark energy may not remain constant throughout time as previously thought, opening up further avenues of exploration.
- The detection of Dark Energy is based on its effect on the rate of universe expansion and large-scale structure formation.
- The 3-D map obtained from DESI observations is an important milestone, providing a glimpse into the inner workings of our universe and paving the way for further breakthroughs in uncovering the mysteries of dark energy.