Roughly 80 percent of the mass of the universe appears to be dark matter: an invisible material that seems to interact with ordinary matter only through gravity, without emitting light or energy. Scientists cannot detect dark matter directly and don't yet know what it's made of, but they track its influence based on the motions of stars and galaxies. The presence of dark matter is necessary to explain the universe's current structure.
Related Topics: The Big Bang Theory, Black Holes, The Theory of Relativity in Space, Gravitational Waves
Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.
Latest about dark matter
Scientists capture bridge of stray stars being sucked from one galaxy to another
Astronomers spot a rare stellar bridge in Abell 3667, revealing an aggressive galaxy merger and new clues about dark matter.
Did 'primordial' black holes born right after the Big Bang help our universe's 1st stars form?
New research suggests that primordial black holes could have played an important role in the formation of the universe's first stars, but did they help or hinder?
Vera Rubin Observatory glows under recalibration LEDs | Space photo of the day for July 28, 2025
The glowing light shows the intricate details that make this cutting-edge telescope work.
NASA's Roman Space Telescope could discover 100,000 new cosmic explosions: 'We're definitely expecting the unexpected'
Supernovas, kilonovas, gamma-ray bursts... oh my! The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will uncover 100,000 of these explosions and many more powerful and violent cosmic events.
Our Milky Way galaxy may be surrounded by 100 undetected 'orphan' galaxies
New research suggests that the Milky Way should be surrounded by as many as 100 undetected tiny and faint "orphan" galaxy companions.
Captured dark matter may transform some 'failed stars' into 'dark dwarfs'
Brown dwarfs, also known as "failed stars," could be corrupted by dark matter and transformed into "dark dwarfs" powered by the universe's strangest stuff.
Biting the 'Bullet': Amazing new JWST photo shows titanic collision of galaxy clusters
It's another step on the road to one day discovering what dark matter could be.
James Webb Space Telescope uses cosmic archeology to reveal history of the Milky Way galaxy
Cosmic archeologists have used the James Webb Space Telescope to excavate ancient disk galaxies that tell the story of how the Milky Way and other modern galaxies evolved.
Hello, neighbor! See the Andromeda galaxy like never before in stunning new image from NASA's Chandra telescope (video)
Andromeda never looked as good as it does in a new image from the Chandra X-ray observatory and a range of powerful telescopes. A fitting tribute to dark matter pioneer Vera Rubin.
