New Galaxy Map Unlocks Dark Matter Secrets: James Webb Telescope Reveals Universe's Skeleton

The central square image, taken with the MUSE instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope, shows shock waves around the dead star RXJ0528+2838. When a star moves through space it can push away nearby material creating a so-called bow shock, which in this image is glowing in red, green and blue. The colours represent hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen, respectively. These shocks are usually produced by a strong outflow expelled from the star. However, in the case of RXJ0528+2838 –– a white dwarf with a Sun-like companion –– astronomers discovered that the shock wave can’t be explained by any known mechanism. Some hidden energy source, perhaps magnetic fields, could be the answer to this mystery. European Southern Observatory (ESO)/K. Ilkiewicz and S. Scaringi et al./Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. OVERLAY FROM SOURCE.

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CNBC TV18•26-01-2026, 21:59

New Galaxy Map Unlocks Dark Matter Secrets: James Webb Telescope Reveals Universe's Skeleton

•A new high-resolution map of distant galaxies, created using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, aims to demystify dark matter.
•Dark matter, an invisible substance, constitutes over a quarter of our universe and helps hold it together, but doesn't absorb or emit light.
•Scientists study dark matter indirectly by observing how its gravity warps light from distant galaxies, revealing its distribution.
•The latest map offers unprecedented detail over a large sky patch, with twice the resolution of previous Hubble Space Telescope attempts.
•Published in Nature Astronomy, the map shows new galaxy clusters and dark matter strands, forming the universe's structural 'skeleton'.

Why It Matters: A new James Webb Space Telescope map provides the most detailed view yet of dark matter's role in shaping the universe.

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