Dark Matter

An abstract, stylized swirl of yellow, white, and orange light with numerous swarms of black dots streaming by in the foreground.

Dark MatterMay 6, 2026

‘Touchy-feely’ dark matter is having a moment

Models giving dark matter more complex behavior could help solve multiple cosmic mysteries

Paul M. Sutter

An image of half of Jupiter's disk turned on its side, with its distinctive stripes running vertically and the Great Red Spot to the left.

SpacecraftApril 9, 2026

White House budget seeks to scrap 54 major NASA science missions

Experts found that the White House budget request for the upcoming fiscal year could defund 54 NASA science missions, including a spacecraft currently studying Jupiter and two planned Venus missions

Meghan Bartels

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Three large dark circles appear against a dark background of swarming yellow dots

The UniverseMarch 27, 2026

Did the very young universe make swarms of tiny black holes?

Long ago, the cosmos might have been a black hole factory—and these primordial objects are even weirder than you think

Phil Plait

fuzzy blue clumps of dark matter dot a deep-space view of stars and distant galaxies

Dark MatterJanuary 26, 2026

JWST unveils most intricate map yet of cosmic dark matter

Astronomers puzzled out minuscule distortions in images of faraway galaxies taken by JWST in order to chart the invisible

Joseph Howlett

A diffuse purple blob of gas against the depths of intergalactic space, with a dashed circular annotation denoting the blob's central, most gas-dense region.

AstronomyJanuary 6, 2026

Starless ‘Failed Galaxy’ Is First of Its Kind Ever Seen

Scientists have found the best evidence yet for long-predicted “failed galaxies”

Jenna Ahart

The cluster appears here as a large collection of brilliant white lights, each a distinct galaxy. A neon purple cloud stretches across the cluster’s crowded core. Many of the hundred-plus galaxies in the cluster are in two clumps of galaxies towards the top and bottom of center. Some are encircled by a faint glowing haze, while a few foreground stars gleam with diffraction spikes. Some of the smaller galaxies are tinted blue, orange, or red, and some appear more oblong than round, suggesting spiral shapes viewed edge-on. The neon purple cloud sits at the heart of the image, surrounding the most densely-packed part of the cluster. This cloud, which spreads vertically across the cluster, is multimillion-degree gas observed by Chandra. The two clumps of observable galaxies, and the spread of superheated gas, reveal that the Champagne Cluster is in fact two clusters in the process of colliding.

AstronomyDecember 31, 2025

Cheers! Ring in the New Year with Glittering ‘Champagne Cluster’ Image

A galaxy cluster discovered on New Year’s Eve in 2020 shines in a new image from NASA’s Chandra X-Ray Observatory

Meghan Bartels

An edge-on illustration of a spiral galaxy is shown. It reveals the galaxy's thin disc and central bulge from the side. Overlaid is a data visualization, with colors ranging from blue to red.

The UniverseNovember 7, 2025

Our Milky Way’s warped disk keeps getting weirder

Observations show the disk of our galaxy is not flat but warped and waving. Astronomers are still working out the reasons why

Phil Plait

An illustration of a flash of light starting from a point in the center.

CosmologyOctober 28, 2025

Physicists Propose a Simpler, Hotter Origin for the Cosmos

Theorists have found that a “warm” version of cosmic inflation is consistent with known physics, linking it to the hunt for dark matter

Stephanie Pappas

JWST near-infrared data combined with Chandra X-ray data of the Bullet Cluster show many overlapping objects, including foreground stars, galaxies in galaxy clusters, and distorted background galaxies behind the galaxy clusters, set against the black background of space. A large blue oval, two pink areas, and a smaller blue area are layered on top

The UniverseSeptember 12, 2025

Mesmerizing New JWST Image Sharpens Our View of Dark Matter’s Intergalactic Playground

A swarm of galaxies called the Bullet Cluster is the biggest, best natural laboratory for studying dark matter that astronomers have ever seen

Phil Plait

A video that zooms out and pans around to show more than 10 million galaxies observed by NSF-DOE Rubin Observatory

AstronomyJuly 1, 2025

Astronomers Brace for 10 Million Alerts a Night from Rubin Observatory

Astronomers have never had this much data available this quickly before

Meghan Bartels

A Hubble Space Telescope image of the galaxy cluster Abell 370 and its cosmic surroundings

Dark MatterJune 24, 2025

Dark Matter ‘Droplets’ Could Solve Multiple Cosmic Mysteries

Inspired by superconductivity, a strange new theory that seeks to explain dark matter might explain dark energy, too

Paul M. Sutter

Countless star trails appear as colorful brushstrokes spread across the night sky above NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory

Space ExplorationJune 16, 2025

World’s Biggest Digital Camera Will Release Its First Photos of the Night Sky. Here’s How to Watch Live

The first images of the cosmos taken by the world’s largest digital camera onboard the Vera C. Rubin Observatory are about to be released to the public. Here’s how to watch the action live

Stephanie Pappas