Scientists have released the largest two-dimensional map of the universe. It includes nearly four billion stars, galaxies, and other celestialcelestial/sɪˈlɛstiəl/L2天空的，天体的relating to the sky or outer space; heavenly. objects. The map took 13 years to make. It covers 75 percent of the sky. Two telescopes in Arizona and Chile collected the data.
An international team of over 160 scientists created the map. The team is called the DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is part of this collaborationcollaboration/kəˌlæbəˈreɪʃən/L2合作，协作the act of working together with others to achieve a common goal.. The map shows the cosmoscosmos/ˈkɑːzmoʊs/L2宇宙the universe considered as a whole; the cosmos. in visible and near-infrared light. This light can shine through the dust of our Milky Way galaxy. “Researchers expect it will remain the most comprehensive 2D map of our Universe for years to come,” the National Science Foundation said.
The map has many scientific uses. In addition, it helps scientists study rare phenomenaphenomena/fɪˈnɑːmɪnə/L2现象observable events or facts that are unusual or interesting. like gravitationalgravitational/ˌɡrævɪˈteɪʃənəl/L2重力的，引力的relating to the force of gravity that attracts objects towards each other. lenses and supernovae. The map also helps investigate dark matter and dark energy. Dark matter is an invisibleinvisible/ɪnˈvɪzəbəl/L1看不见的something that cannot be seen substance that holds the universe together. Dark energy is the force that drives the universe’s expansion. The map will also be a reference for new observatories and help train artificial intelligence tools.
