Dark Energy Survey Archives

Astronomers Just Found 72 Stellar Explosions, but Don’t Know What’s Causing Them

9 Apr , 2018 by Matt Williams

Using data from the Dark Energy Survey Supernova program, a team of astronomers recently found 72 supernovae, the largest number discovered to date

Astronomers Find The Most Distant Supernova Ever: 10.5 Billion Light-Years Away

21 Feb , 2018 by Evan Gough

Astronomers with the Dark Energy Survey have discovered the most distant and ancient supernova yet: a rare Super Luminous Supernova about 10.5 billion light years away.

Professor Stephen Hawking Intends To Map The Known Universe

29 Jun , 2016 by Matt Williams

At the upcoming Starmus science conference, Professor Stephen Hawking will unveil the most ambitious plan to map the known universe to date

Scientists Map the Dark Matter Around Millions of Galaxies

17 Apr , 2015 by Ramin Skibba

This week, scientists with the Dark Energy Survey (DES) collaboration released the first in a series of detailed maps charting the distribution of dark matter inferred from its gravitational effects. The new maps confirm current theories that suggest galaxies will form where large concentrations of dark matter exist. The new data show large filaments of […]

Dark Energy Camera Takes Accidental Gigantic, Magnificent Picture of Comet Lovejoy

27 Feb , 2015 by Nancy Atkinson

Oops! In a happy accident, Comet Lovejoy just happened to be in the field of view of the 570-megapixel Dark Energy Camera, the world’s most powerful digital camera. One member of the observing team said it was a “shock” to see Comet Lovejoy pop up on the display in the control room. “It reminds us […]

The Search for Dark Energy Just Got Easier

25 Nov , 2014 by Matt Williams

Since the early 20th century, scientists and physicists have been burdened with explaining how and why the Universe appears to be expanding at an accelerating rate. For decades, the most widely accepted explanation is that the cosmos is permeated by a mysterious force known as “dark energy”. In addition to being responsible for cosmic acceleration, […]

Superluminous Supernova Puzzles Astronomers

26 Jun , 2014 by Shannon Hall

Supernovae are surprisingly dependable. These brilliant and powerful explosions that mark the end of massive stars’ lives tend to shine anywhere from one hundred million to a few billion times brighter than the Sun for weeks on end. And their intrinsic brightness is always well known. But in recent years a rare class of cosmic […]

First Images in a New Hunt for Dark Energy

17 Sep , 2012 by Jason Major

Zoomed-in image from the Dark Energy Camera of the barred spiral galaxy NGC 1365, about 60 million light-years from Earth. (Dark Energy Survey Collaboration) The ongoing search for dark energy now has a new set of eyes: the Dark Energy Camera, mounted on the 4-meter Victor M. Blanco telescope at the National Science Foundation’s Cerro […]

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