Dark matter "Lampshades" obscuring entire stars
Scientists think clumps of dark matter might act like cosmic lampshades, gently blocking starlight and revealing hidden objects in space.
They're looking at MACHOs—things like neutron stars and black holes that barely give off any light.
How machos are usually found
Normally, MACHOs are found when they brighten stars by bending their light—a rare event that takes years to catch.
This study suggests some MACHOs are so spread out, they just dim stars a little instead.
Spotting this subtle "lampshade" effect could help us find these hard-to-detect objects.
What astronomers can do next
Astronomers can look for this dimming using data from ongoing sky surveys like the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment.
If they spot it, we'll get closer to understanding what dark matter is—or at least know how much of it comes from these mysterious MACHOs.