Largest 2D map of the universe helps scientists discover new gravitational lenses

Using data from the DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys, with help from artificial intelligence, an international team of scientists has discovered 70 new gravitational lenses, rare cosmic alignments that act as natural magnifying glasses. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Add to Preferred Sources A sample set of the gravitational lenses that were discovered in data from the DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys.

In August 2026, the DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys team released the largest 2D map of the universe ever created. This map was created using data from three ground-based sky surveys: The Legacy Surveys map has been 13 years in the making, and regular data releases from the team have enabled scientists to make countless discoveries across a range of subfields in astronomy and astrophysics.

The DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys' deep and wide-field images have provided an unprecedented foundation for discovering new gravitational lenses," says Aleksandar Cikota, an associate scientist at NSF NOIRLab, co-author of the study and PI of the follow-up observing program. Earlier work using these techniques had created a catalog containing about 3, 500 potential lenses.

Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100, 000 subscribers who rely on Phys. org for daily insights. The AI-powered search uncovered 76 gravitational lens candidates, but this was only the first step.

Using MUSE observations collected between 2022 and 2024, the team confirmed that 70 of the candidates were true gravitational lenses. The newly discovered gravitational lenses have been added to the DESI Strong Lens Foundry Project, one of the largest collections of confirmed lenses to date.

Fonte