New Dark Energy Telescope Snaps First Cosmic Photos - Spokane, North Idaho News & Weather KHQ.com

New Dark Energy Telescope Snaps First Cosmic Photos

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YAHOO.COM - A new telescope camera in Chile focused on mysterious dark energy has taken its first photos of extremely distant galaxies.

The images represent the first observations — called "first light" — of an instrument called the Dark Energy Camera that was eight years in the works.

"The achievement of first light through the Dark Energy Camera begins a significant new era in our exploration of the cosmic frontier," James Siegrist, associate director of science for high energy physics at the U.S. Department of Energy, said in a statement. "The results of this survey will bring us closer to understanding the mystery of dark energy, and what it means for the universe."

Scientists think dark energy makes up 74 percent of the universe, yet they have very little idea what it is. For now, it is the name given to the force that's counteracting gravity, causing the expansion of the universe to accelerate. click here to read more and to look at the photos

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