"Massive Data Release: DESI Unveils 2 Million Objects"

The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) has released its first batch of data, containing nearly 2 million objects for researchers to explore. The 80-terabyte data set comes from 2,480 exposures taken over six months during the experiment's "survey validation" phase in 2020 and 2021. DESI uses 5,000 robotic positioners to move optical fibers that capture light from objects millions or billions of light-years away, building a 3-D cosmic map. While DESI's primary goal is understanding dark energy, much of the data can also be used in other astronomical studies.