UK scientists begin 5 year quest to solve cosmic detective puzzle

A five year quest is underway to solve the cosmic detective puzzle of why the expansion of the universe is speeding up. 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. Professor Ofer Lahav (UCL Physics & Astronomy) and head of the DES Science Committee added: "One of the most challenging goals for DES is to tell if what causes the acceleration of the universe is indeed dark energy, or something entirely different." 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.