A DESI ‘Petal’ in Bloom: Time-Lapse Video

This time-lapse video sequence shows how components are assembled for a single wedge-shaped petal that is part of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument’s (DESI) focal plane. This video condenses the work on this petal – which took several weeks – down to about 5 minutes. In all, the focal plane will be composed of 10 petals, each holding 500 robotic positioners.

Each of these positioners carries a fiber-optic cable, and the cables will be individually pointed at preset sequences of distant galaxies to gather their light. The light signatures from these galaxies will form the basis for the largest 3-D map of the universe. Each positioner is outfitted with a 3-meter length of fiber-optic cable that will be precisely fused with a 50-meter cable. The focal plane will sit high atop the Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory near Tucson, Arizona.