A small portion of DESI's year-five map of the large-scale structure of the universe. (Image credit: DESI Collaboration and DESI Member Institutions/DOE/KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/R. ProctorImage Processing: M. Zamani (NSF NOIRLab)) Quick facts What it is: The largest 3D map of the universe ever created Where it is: The universe, as seen from Earth When it was shared: April 17, 2026 This snapshot is just a small part of one of the most comprehensive and spectacular views yet of the universe — a web-like structure formed by millions of galaxies, stretching back to near the dawn of time. The full DESI map of the cosmic web, showing roughly 47 million galaxies. (Image credit: DESI Collaboration and DESI Member Institutions/ DOE/ KPNO/ NOIRLab/ NSF/ AURA/ R. Proctor) The five-year survey was supposed to gather data on 34 million galaxies and quasars (the bright cores of distant young galaxies). In practice, it detected over 47 million, along with more than 20 million nearby stars in the Milky Way .…