Astronomers have unveiled a new catalog of massive galaxy clusters, revealing insight on the evolution of the universe.

Galaxy clusters — the largest gravitationally bound structures in the universe — act as cosmic signposts that trace the distribution of dark matter and the mysterious dark energy driving the universe's accelerated expansion. Each containing hundreds to thousands of galaxies, these clusters' characteristics such as size depend on how cosmic structures form and evolve. Thus, they're a powerful test of cosmological models.

The new catalog of galaxy clusters was assembled using six years of data collected by the Dark Energy Survey (DES). The project leveraged a powerful Dark Energy Camera (DECam) mounted to the 4-meter Blanco Telescope in Chile to provide one of the most de

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