The Dark Energy Survey has released a massive, public collection of astronomical data and calibrated images from six years of work, containing data on nearly 700 million astronomical objects. It is the culmination of over half a decade of astronomical data collection and analysis, with the ultimate goal of understanding the accelerating expansion rate of the Universe and the phenomenon of dark energy that is thought to be responsible for the expansion. In this podcast, NOIRLab’s Robert Nikutta discusses DR2 and how professional and amateur astronomers can access the data for use in astronomical research. Bio: Rob Sparks is in the Communications, Education and Engagement group at NSF’s NOIRLab. Robert Nikutta is a staff scientist at NSF’s NOIRLab. He is currently the Project Scientist for the Astro Data Lab science platform.   Website(s) you want to have a link to https://noirlab.edu/public/news/noirlab2106/ https://www.darkenergysurvey.org/ https://cosmoquest.org/x/365daysofastronomy/2019/01/12/jan-12th-the-last-night-of-the-dark-energy-survey/ https://cosmoquest.org/x/365daysofastronomy/2019/02/09/feb-9th-the-poetry-of-the-dark-energy-survey/   We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs. Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you can! Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too! Every bit helps! Thank you! ------------------------------------ Do go visit http://astrogear.spreadshirt.com/ for cool Astronomy Cast and CosmoQuest t-shirts, coffee mugs and other awesomeness! http://cosmoquest.org/Donate This show is made possible through your donations. Thank you! (Haven't donated? It's not too late! Just click!) The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by Astrosphere New Media. http://www.astrosphere.org/ Visit us on the web at 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or email us at info@365DaysOfAstronomy.org.