# DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys cosmic mapping > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/desi-legacy-imaging-surveys-cosmic-mapping > Updated: 2026-08-13T01:00:25.000Z. Sources: 13. Developments: 2. The DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys team has released the largest two-dimensional map of the universe to date. This dataset comprises 5.6 trillion pixels and captures nearly 4 billion celestial objects, including stars, galaxies, black holes, and asteroids. The map covers roughly 75% of the visible sky by integrating visible and near-infrared light, which enables researchers to observe through interstellar dust. The project is the result of 13 years of observations involving over 263,000 telescope exposures. Data was collected from ground-based surveys in Chile and Arizona, alongside infrared data from NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). The processing was completed using the Perlmutter supercomputer at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. This 2D atlas acts as a foundation for the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) to develop a three-dimensional map of the universe, aiding studies into dark matter, dark energy, and cosmic expansion. In related astronomical developments, researchers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) identified the oldest pair of supermassive black holes ever observed, located in a merging galaxy from when the universe was 1.3 billion years old. ## Timeline ### 2026-08-13: Astronomers release largest 2D universe map and discover ancient black holes Astronomers have released the largest 2D map of the universe featuring 4 billion objects and discovered the oldest known pair of supermassive black holes using the James Webb Space Telescope. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/astronomers-release-largest-2d-universe-map-and-discover-ancient-black-holes ### 2026-08-11: DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys unveils largest 2D universe map The DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys team has released a 5.6-trillion-pixel 2D map of the universe, featuring nearly 4 billion celestial objects across 75% of the sky to aid studies of dark energy and dark matter. 11 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/astronomers-release-largest-ever-2d-map-of-the-universe --- Cite as: DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys cosmic mapping. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/desi-legacy-imaging-surveys-cosmic-mapping