Astrophysicists just made the biggest dark matter map ever
A team of astrophysicists has mapped dark matter on a massive scale, using data from the Dark Energy Survey (DES) Year 6.
Over six years, they measured shapes of more than 151 million galaxies across a huge chunk of the sky—helping us see where invisible mass is hiding in the universe.
Smarter tech means sharper cosmic maps
The DES crew used new tools like cell-based coadds and metadetection to make their data way more accurate.
This meant fewer errors and clearer models, letting them chart dark matter across over 4,000 square degrees—think thousands of times bigger than the full moon in the sky.
Results match what scientists expected (and that's good)
Their findings show that dark matter clumps just as current theories predict, giving extra confidence in how we understand the universe's structure.
Plus, all their data is now public—so researchers everywhere can dig into these cosmic maps.
Why it matters for space science
With these new maps out there, scientists can hunt for things like hidden dwarf galaxies or make even better mass maps.
It's a big leap forward for figuring out how our universe is built—and opens up tons of possibilities for future discoveries.