# Scientists Release 5.6-Trillion-Pixel Map of the Universe, the Largest Ever Made

*2026-08-12 10:01 UTC · Science · 1 min read*

> Berkeley Lab and NSF NOIRLab unveiled a 5.6-trillion-pixel, 4-billion-object atlas of the sky that will underpin dark energy and dark matter research for years to come.

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and NSF NOIRLab have released the largest two-dimensional map of the universe ever created. The DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys atlas spans 5.6 trillion pixels and catalogs nearly 4 billion celestial objects across 75% of the sky.

The map combines 263,407 telescope exposures collected over 2,285 observing nights, with more than 160 scientists contributing data and 20 producing the final dataset. Assembling it required 8 weeks of processing time on the Perlmutter supercomputer.

The atlas forms the foundation for DESI, the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, letting researchers build a 3D map of the cosmos to study dark energy and dark matter, search for gravitational lenses, and track supernovae in real time. More than 1,800 scientific papers already reference the Legacy Surveys data, and the full dataset is publicly viewable through the Legacy Survey Sky Viewer.

## Sources

- [newscenter.lbl.gov](https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2026/08/10/scientists-release-biggest-2d-map-of-the-universe/)
- [space.com](https://www.space.com/astronomy/scientists-create-largest-2d-map-of-the-universe-with-5-6-trillion-pixels-and-nearly-4-billion-cosmic-objects)

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TechTools News · https://techtools.cz/tools/news/article/2174-scientists-release-5-6-trillion-pixel-map-of-the-universe-the-largest-ever-made
Česká verze: https://techtools.cz/tools/news/clanek/2247-vedci-zverejnili-mapu-vesmiru-o-5-6-bilionu-pixelu-nejvetsi-v-historii