GALAXIES · 2026-01-26
Webb Data Reveals Dark Matter
This Webb field combines observed galaxies with a map of something the telescope cannot see directly: dark matter.
What to observe
- Find the blue overlay before looking at individual galaxies.
- Notice that the blue behaves like a map, not like light emitted by the objects.
Explanation
Researchers inferred the distribution of invisible dark matter from its gravitational effect on the shapes of many background galaxies.
Color method
Blue is an assigned data layer representing inferred dark-matter density. Brighter blue indicates greater density; it is not the visible color of dark matter.
Why it matters
The image establishes the central rule of the Trail: astronomical color can encode measurement and interpretation as well as visible light.
Sources and credits
Asset credit: NASA/STScI/J. DePasquale/A. Pagan / JPL