The University of Chicago's Sunyaev-Zeldovich Array at Owens Valley, Calif. The SZA is a radio telescope consisting of eight dishes, each measuring 3.5 meters across (two dishes are not visible in this photograph). A team including researchers from four institutions led by the University of Chicago's John Carlstrom is using the array to determine when dark energy began interfering with galaxy cluster formation and thus became an important force in the evolution of the universe.
Photo by Erik Leitch, University of Chicago

Construction for the South Pole Telescope broke ground on Nov. 15, 2004. The 10-meter SPT is designed to reveal new details regarding the mysterious phenomenon called dark energy, which overwhelms gravity and pushes the universe apart. The telescope is being built at the National Science Foundation's South Pole Station to take advantage of Antarctica's clear, dry skies. The SPT could begin operating in 2007.
Photo courtesy of the National Science Foundation Office of Polar Programs