Photo: DES Galaxies & Clusters (Courtesy of DES/Color image by J. Hao)
After getting the first light in the mid of Sept., 2012, the DES team is flashing forward at amazing speed. By the end of 2012, we have successfully completed the commissioning and science verification, and the formal survey will start at the beginning of 2013. During the first of the five survey seasons, DES is focusing on three patches of the sky, with a total of 400 square degrees at full DES depth. Of the three patches, one is along the equatorial region, overlapping with many existing optical surveys for better calibration, and the other two are overlapping with the South Pole Telescope (SPT) survey in the southern sky. Exciting science is just ahead!
– Jiangang Hao