An international team including the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ), Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU) at the University of Tokyo, Academia Sinica Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics (ASIAA, Taiwan), and Princeton University, is conducting a large-scale astronomical survey using Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC), an ultra-wide-field camera operated at the prime focus of the Subaru Telescope since 2014.
This large-scale survey is called HSC-SSP (Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program). It utilizes the ultra-wide-field capability of HSC that can cover nine times the area of the full moon, and images dim astronomical objects that could not be observed with conventional cameras over an area of the Universe as wide as 1000 square degrees (5000 full moons). The project is attempting to address the mystery of the accelerating expansion of the Universe by mapping the global distribution of dark matter with unprecedented resolution using HSC data. This survey will continue through 2019.
Figure 1: The HSC special issue of the Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan. (Credit: ASJ)
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