DOE to start building a tool that will 3D map the universeAugust 11, 2016 - 17:37 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Next year, the Department of Energy will start building the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), which will 3D map millions of galaxies across the universe. The agency-backed project has passed "Critical Decision 3" almost a year after it went through the second phase of approval. That means DOE has OKed its construction and will provide the funding needed to finish manufacturing its camera's 5,000 10-inch-long cylindrical robots. See that pizza slice-like contraption in the image above? It's one of the camera's ten "petals." Each hole in a petal houses a robot, and the ten petals will carry a total of 5,000. All those machines will point fiber-optic cables to the sky to gather light from distant worlds, Engadget said. Part of the funding will also go to coating six million-dollar lenses with antireflective material to improve their transparency. The team will build 10 spectrographs to measure the wavelengths of incoming light, as well. According to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the organization managing the project, the light that comes in will tell us how fast galaxies and stars are moving away from us. By obtaining that info, we'll be able to solve some of the mysteries surrounding dark energy -- the invisible force believed to occupy every inch of the universe, pushing things apart and accelerating its expansion. Daniel Eisenstein, a DESI spokesperson from Harvard University, explained: "The DESI map of galaxies will reveal patterns that result from the interplay of pressure and gravity in the first 400,000 years after the Big Bang. We'll be using these subtle fingerprints to study the expansion history of the universe." DESI will be installed 6,880 feet above the ground, on top of the Mayall Telescope that's located at the highest peak of Arizona's Quinlan Mountains. It will take some time before it's ready, but if all goes well, it will start observing the universe in January 2019. Top stories Yerevan will host the 2024 edition of the World Congress On Information Technology (WCIT). Rustam Badasyan said due to the lack of such regulation, the state budget is deprived of VAT revenues. Krisp’s smart noise suppression tech silences ambient sounds and isolates your voice for calls. Gurgen Khachatryan claimed that the "illegalities have been taking place in 2020." Partner news Most popular in the section | Fly Arna license suspended, says Armenia official The license of the Armenian airline Fly Arna has been suspended for six months, an official says. President stresses Armenia’s clear position to achieve peace On the eve of the International Francophonie Day, the Armenian President met with French intellectuals. Termination of servicing of MIR cards. IDBank It will not be possible to ensure the full operation of MIR cards in IDBank’s POS-terminals and ATMs Pashinian meets border villagers on possible land transfer to Azerbaijan Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has met with concerned residents of two villages in Armenia’s northern Tavush province. |