The dark energy pushing our universe apart may not be what it seems, scientists say

NEW YORK — Distant, ancient galaxies are giving scientists more hints that a mysterious force called dark energy may not be what they thought. The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument making observations in the night sky on the Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory located about 56 miles southwest of Tucson in the Tohono O’odham Nation. Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Called the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, it uses a telescope southwest of Tucson, Arizona to create a three-dimensional map of the universe over 11 billion years to see how galaxies have clustered throughout time and across space. Because dark energy is the biggest component of the universe, its behavior determines the universe’s fate, explained David Spergel, an astrophysicist and president of the Simons Foundation.