Recent data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) indicate that dark energy, which accelerates galaxies away from each other, has weakened over the past 4.5 billion years. Presented at a physics meeting, these results expand upon earlier findings, potentially forcing a re-evaluation of the 'standard model' of cosmology, which posits dark energy as a constant. The DESI telescope employs advanced techniques to map the Universe's expansion by measuring the redshift of celestial objects, shedding light on cosmic history and ongoing developments in astrophysics.
"Now I'm really sitting up and paying attention," says Catherine Heymans, an astronomer at the University of Edinburgh, UK, and the Astronomer Royal for Scotland.
"The gauntlet has been thrown down to the physicists to explain this," says Heymans.
If the findings hold up, they could force cosmologists to revise their 'standard model' for the history of the Universe.
The DESI telescope uses 5,000 robotic arms to point optical fibres at selected points where galaxies or quasars are located within its field of view.
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