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A group of galaxies named the Copeland Septet — just one detail among billions captured in the largest-ever 2D map of the universe. (Image credit: DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys/LBNL/DOE & KPNO/CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA)

Astronomers Release Largest-Ever 2D Map of the Universe Charting 4 Billion Objects

August 13, 2026 •

BERKELEY, Calif. — Astronomers and astrophysicists have officially unveiled the largest two-dimensional color map of...

Among the nearly 4 billion objects in the DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys’ map is the galaxy Messier 96, a spiral galaxy approximately 35 million light-years from Earth. This image was captured with the 570-megapixel Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy Camera (DECam) mounted on the U.S. National Science Foundation Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at NSF Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) in Chile, a Program of NSF NOIRLab. Credit: DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys/LBNL/DOE & KPNO/CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA

DESI Releases Largest-Ever 2D Map of the Universe Containing 4 Billion Celestial Objects

August 11, 2026 •

BERKELEY, Calif. — The DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys team has officially released the largest 2D...