UK scientists begin five year quest to solve cosmic detective puzzle

[Judi Lynn]

UK scientists begin five year quest to solve cosmic detective puzzle
1 hour ago

A five year quest is underway (3 September 2013) looking to solve the cosmic detective puzzle of why the expansion of the universe is speeding up. UK physicists and astronomers working alongside colleagues from around the world, from an observatory in Chile, are using the world's most powerful digital camera – the Dark Energy Camera - to try and answer some of the most fundamental questions about our universe.

For hundreds of nights over the next five years, the researchers taking part in this Dark Energy Survey (DES) aim to find out not only why the growth of the universe is accelerating, instead of slowing down due to gravity, but also to probe the mystery of dark energy, the force believed to be causing that acceleration.
Scientists on the survey team will systematically map one-eighth of the sky (5000 square degrees) in unprecedented detail. The start of the survey is the culmination of ten years of planning, building, and testing by scientists from 25 institutions in six countries, including the Universities of Cambridge, Edinburgh, Nottingham, Portsmouth, Sussex and University College London in the UK.

"We know dark energy exists" explains Dr David Bacon, a member of DES at the University of Portsmouth, "but that's about it. How this substance changes with time and location remains unclear, but we'll have a better view after DES".

Professor Grahame Blair, Executive Director of Programmes at the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), said: "Understanding the origin and nature of dark energy is one of the most exciting and timely areas of study in astronomy today. Our contribution in this international programme demonstrates the UK's excellence in precision optics systems and we can look forward to UK scientists playing a key role in this challenging programme, with STFC support."

More:
http://phys.org/news/2013-09-uk-scientists-year-quest-cosmic.html#jCp

[longship]

1. Here's a description of the Blanco 4m telescope.

http://www.darkenergysurvey.org/DECam/telescope.shtml

It's in Chile. It's not new.

Here's the Wiki: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/V%C3%ADctor_M._Blanco_Telescope

Looks like a formidable instrument.