Latest / Space News Today / Dark Matter Mapped: Webb’s Unprecedented Universe Discovery

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Dark Matter Mapped: Webb’s Unprecedented Universe Discovery · Space News Today

• 0:00
  Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your source
• 0:03
  for the latest space and astronomy news.
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  I'm Anna.
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  >> And I'm Avery. Today's Tuesday, January
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  27th, 2026, and we've got some
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  fascinating stories lined up for you.
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  >> We certainly do. On today's episode,
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  we're diving into NASA's groundbreaking
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  new dark matter map, getting the latest
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  updates on this week's orbital launch
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  schedule, and learning about what the
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  Aremis 2 crew might see on the far side
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  of the moon.
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  >> Plus, we'll explore stunning new
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  insights into Jupiter's complex cloud
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  systems. Find out about a rare solar
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  eclipse that only a handful of people
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  will witness, and get the latest on
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  SpaceX's upgraded Starship development.
• 0:44
  >> Let's get started. Take it away, Anna.
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  >> Our top story today comes from NASA's
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  Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where
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  scientists have created one of the most
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  detailed dark matter maps ever produced
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  using data from the James Web Space
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  Telescope.
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  >> This is really exciting stuff, Anna. The
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  map shows how dark matter, that
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  invisible ghostly material that makes up
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  most of the universe's mass, overlaps
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  and intertwines with regular matter,
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  like stars and galaxies. Published
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  Monday in Nature Astronomy, this map is
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  twice as sharp as any previous dark
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  matter map made by other observatories.
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  Diana Skoggnia, the lead author and
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  astrophysicist at JPL, described it as
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  seeing the invisible scaffolding of the
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  universe in stunning detail for the
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  first time.
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  >> What's particularly fascinating is how
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  the map confirms that dark matter and
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  regular matter have essentially grown up
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  together. Wherever you see a massive
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  cluster of thousands of galaxies,
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  there's an equally massive amount of
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  dark matter in the same place. When you
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  see strings of regular matter connecting
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  clusters, dark matter strings are there,
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  too. The team used Web's unprecedented
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  sensitivity to observe nearly 800,000
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  galaxies in a region of sky about 2.5
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  times larger than the full moon. They
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  detected dark matter by observing how
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  its mass curves space itself, which
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  bends light from distant galaxies as it
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  travels to Earth.
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  >> Here's something to ponder. Without dark
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  matter, we might not even be here. Dark
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  matter began clumping together first in
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  the early universe, and those clumps
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  then pulled regular matter together,
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  creating the conditions for stars and
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  galaxies to form earlier than they would
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  have otherwise. That earlier star
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  formation was crucial because those
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  first generations of stars turned
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  hydrogen and helium into the rich array
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  of elements that now make up planets
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  like Earth. So in a very real sense,
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  dark matter influenced the creation of
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  the elements necessary for life. Looking
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  ahead, the upcoming Nancy Grace Roman
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  Space Telescope will map dark matter
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  over an area 4,400 times bigger than
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  this web study. Though it won't match
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  web's incredible resolution. For even
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  more detailed looks, we'll have to wait
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  for next generation telescopes like the
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  proposed Habitable Worlds Observatory.
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  >> Fascinating research that's literally
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  revealing the invisible foundation of
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  our universe.
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  >> Moving on to this week's launch
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  schedule. It's shaping up to be a busy
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  last week of January with flights from
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  Florida, California, and New Zealand on
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  the manifest.
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  >> That's right. SpaceX is planning to
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  close out the month with the GPS 3SV09
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  mission along with up to three Starlink
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  launches. The GPS launch is scheduled
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  for late Monday evening from Cape
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  Canaveral. The GPS 3SV09
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  satellite named Ellison Onuka after one
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  of the fallen Challenger astronauts will
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  be launched to medium Earth orbit. This
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  spacecraft offers improved accuracy and
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  jamming resistance over previous
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  versions of GPS.
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  >> Meanwhile, Rocket Labs Electron is
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  preparing for the Bridging the Swarm
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  mission from New Zealand's Mahia
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  Peninsula on Wednesday. This launch will
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  carry South Korea's Neon Sat 1A
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  observation satellite to sunsyn
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  synchronous orbit.
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  >> The Neon Sat constellation is designed
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  to provide near real-time disaster
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  monitoring capability for the Korean
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  Peninsula. The 100 kg Neon SAT 1A
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  features a highresolution optical camera
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  and will join an existing Neonat
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  satellite already in orbit.
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  >> This mission has already faced a couple
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  of delays. It was originally scheduled
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  to launch back in December, but was
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  scrubbed after sensor issues during
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  Countdown.
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  >> SpaceX also has multiple Starlink
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  missions on the schedule this week from
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  both coasts. Group 17-9 from Vandenberg
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  Space Force Base in California on
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  Thursday and Group 6-101 from Cape
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  Canaveral later that same day. And
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  looking ahead to early February, the
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  first Starlink mission of next month,
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  Group 6-103,
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  is currently scheduled for Sunday,
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  February 1st.
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  >> China also has two possible flights on
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  the manifest. A Changang 7A from Heinen
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  Island and a Gilong 3 from the South
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  China Sea, though neither has a
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  confirmed launch date yet. It's worth
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  noting that China's year in space flight
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  has already been eventful with two
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  launch failures within 12 hours in mid
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  January. So, they may be proceeding
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  cautiously with these upcoming missions.
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  Okay, moving on. Our next story takes us
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  to preparations for NASA's Aremis 2
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  mission where four astronauts are
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  training to become the first humans to
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  see parts of the moon that have remained
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  hidden from view even during the Apollo
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  missions. The Aremis 2 crew, Reed
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  Weissman, Victor Glover, Christina
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  Hammock Coach, and Jeremy Hansen won't
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  land on the lunar surface, but they'll
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  fly around the far side of the moon and
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  potentially observe regions never before
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  seen by human eyes.
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  >> Among the most significant targets is
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  Mari oriental, a vast 600-m wide impact
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  basing that sits along the edge of the
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  lunar far side. Its location makes it
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  nearly impossible to view from Earth
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  despite its massive scale.
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  >> The crew will spend a dedicated
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  three-hour segment of their mission
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  focusing on direct lunar observation.
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  NASA exploration scientist Jacob Leecher
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  emphasizes that human vision can detect
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  subtle surface differences, variations
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  in brightness or texture that indicate
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  differences in rock composition and
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  geological age. What's fascinating is
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  that the astronauts have been training
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  extensively in geology, including
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  simulated exercises in Iceland, where
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  they practiced identifying volcanic and
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  impact related features in environments
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  resembling the moon. The far side of the
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  moon holds a geological record less
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  disturbed than the near side. While much
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  of the near side is covered with maria,
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  vast plains of ancient lava that have
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  erased older surface features, the far
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  side remains heavily cratered and
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  relatively intact.
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  >> Because of tidal locking, the moon
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  always shows the same face to Earth.
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  Until the Soviet Luna 3 mission in 1959,
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  no one had any idea what the far side
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  looked like. Even the Apollo missions
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  only had brief views and poor lighting.
• 7:18
  Artemis 2 breaks that pattern by taking
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  advantage of a launch window and flight
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  path that ensures better visibility of
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  the hidden hemisphere. The mission is
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  currently scheduled for no earlier than
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  February 6th. And astronaut Christina
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  noted that the mission may help
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  shift public understanding away from the
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  outdated phrase the dark side of the
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  moon which falsely implies the region
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  lacks sunlight. An exciting mission that
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  will give us unprecedented views of
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  lunar territory that remained largely
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  mysterious for all of human history.
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  >> Now, let's turn our attention to
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  Jupiter, where NASA's Juno spacecraft
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  continues to reveal the gas giant
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  secrets from beneath its dense cloud
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  layers.
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  >> Juno has been orbiting Jupiter since
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  2016, peering through storms and
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  cyclones to unveil the planet's hidden
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  complexity. And recent observations are
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  showing just how much more intricate
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  Jupiter is than we ever imagined.
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  >> One of the most fundamental questions
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  scientists have debated for decades is
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  how deep Jupiter's distinctive cloud
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  bands actually go. By measuring
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  Jupiter's gravity field, Juno discovered
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  that these belts and zones, which are
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  alternating east and west flowing jet
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  streams, extend about 1,900 m or 3,000
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  km below the cloud tops. That's
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  incredible depth. And Juno's discoveries
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  have completely upended our
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  understanding of Jupiter's interior
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  structure, too. Scientists long thought
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  Jupiter had a small solid core
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  surrounded by hydrogen and helium, but
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  Juno's data suggests the planet has a
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  larger, more diluted core than
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  previously believed. The spacecraft has
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  also provided the first detailed views
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  of Jupiter's north pole, revealing
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  massive cyclonic storms arranged in
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  fascinating patterns. Eight storms in an
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  octagonal pattern in the north and five
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  in a pentagonal pattern in the south.
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  These storms are extremely resilient and
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  have persisted for years. And here's
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  something really intriguing. Juno
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  recently captured images showing a
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  mysterious green glow near Jupiter's
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  north pole. The flash of light was
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  traveling at breakneck speed, which
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  makes capturing it even more remarkable.
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  >> Scientists believe this could be
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  lightning, but Jupiter's lightning is
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  vastly different from Earth's. It's
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  caused by clouds containing ammonia
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  water solution and can be much more
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  powerful than terrestrial lightning.
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  >> Juno's mission has been extended
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  multiple times and was scheduled to end
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  in September 2025, but appears to be
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  still be operational with no new end
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  date being promoted. During this
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  extended phase, the spacecraft is
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  conducting close flybys of Jupiter's
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  intriguing Galilean moons, Ganyde,
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  Europa, and Io.
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  >> Eventually, Juno will meet its end by
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  burning up in Jupiter's atmosphere. But
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  until then, it continues to
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  revolutionize our understanding of the
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  solar system's largest planet. Our next
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  story involves a celestial event that
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  very few people will witness. A rare
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  annular solar eclipse set to occur over
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  one of the most remote places on Earth.
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  On February 17th, 2026, a spectacular
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  ring of fire eclipse will be visible
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  from a narrow stretch of Antarctica. The
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  phenomenon will only be fully visible
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  from an uninhabited region of the
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  continent with just two research
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  stations falling within the events path.
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  The antumbal shadow of the moon, the
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  area where the full annular eclipse can
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  be seen, will travel across a 2661-m
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  stretch of mainland Antarctica. Only two
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  inhabited locations fall within this
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  narrow band. Concordia station, a French
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  Italian base, and Mney station operated
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  by Russia.
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  >> At Concordia, annularity will last 2
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  minutes and 1 second with the sun
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  positioned 5° above the horizon. At
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  Miernney, it will experience 1 minute
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  and 52 seconds of annularity with the
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  sun slightly higher at 10°. Given the
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  extreme location and limited
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  infrastructure, eclipse meteorologist
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  Jay Anderson noted that it's a challenge
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  to reach and neither of the two
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  inhabited locations is set up to welcome
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  tourists.
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  >> However, a partial eclipse will be
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  visible over a much larger region,
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  including several Antarctic research
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  bases, parts of southeastern Africa, the
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  southern tip of South America, and
• 11:54
  stretches of the Pacific, Atlantic, and
• 11:56
  Indian oceans. For example, Poland's AB
• 12:00
  Dabberlonsky station will see 92% of the
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  sun covered while McMmetoro station in
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  the US will see 86%.
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  Even distant cities like Durban in South
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  Africa will witness about 16% coverage.
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  Weather could be a significant factor
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  though. Mierney station averages 65%
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  cloud cover in February, while Concordia
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  has a clearer profile with about 35%
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  coverage. and temperatures can drop as
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  low as minus 112°
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  F.
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  >> Interestingly, the eclipse itself might
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  improve viewing conditions. The sudden
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  temperature drop from the eclipse can
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  disrupt local cloud formation,
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  potentially causing convective clouds to
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  dissipate. Though, if you're one of the
• 12:46
  handful of researchers stationed in
• 12:48
  Antarctica next month, you might be in
• 12:50
  for a spectacular show, assuming the
• 12:53
  clouds cooperate and you can brave the
• 12:55
  extreme cold. And finally, in some late
• 12:58
  breaking news, we have an update on
• 13:00
  SpaceX's Starship development program.
• 13:04
  According to a post from CEO Elon Musk,
• 13:06
  the delayed first test of SpaceX's
• 13:08
  upgraded Starship rocket version 3 is
• 13:12
  now slated for mid-March. This third
• 13:15
  version of Starship is larger and more
• 13:17
  powerful than previous iterations.
• 13:19
  Crucially, SpaceX plans to use Starship
• 13:22
  V3 to launch its next generation
• 13:25
  Starlink satellites, which will be
• 13:27
  capable of faster data speeds, but are
• 13:30
  heavier and larger. It's also the first
• 13:32
  version designed to dock with other
• 13:34
  Starships in Earth orbit, a capability
• 13:37
  the company needs to reach the moon or
• 13:39
  Mars. This comes as SpaceX faces
• 13:41
  pressure from the Trump administration
• 13:43
  to return US astronauts to the lunar
• 13:45
  surface before the end of its second
• 13:47
  term. SpaceX was making progress toward
• 13:50
  a launch of Starship V3 in late 2025,
• 13:54
  but in November, the booster stage
• 13:56
  suffered a major explosion during
• 13:58
  testing that blew out an entire side of
• 14:01
  the steel rocket. The company said it
• 14:03
  was performing gas system pressure
• 14:05
  testing when the explosion happened, but
• 14:07
  hasn't offered a more detailed breakdown
• 14:09
  of what went wrong. The second version
• 14:12
  of Starship was a mixed bag. The program
• 14:15
  successfully reached orbit, deployed
• 14:17
  dummy versions of next generation
• 14:19
  Starling satellites and caught multiple
• 14:21
  booster stages after they returned to
• 14:24
  the launchpad. But Starship V2 also
• 14:27
  suffered several explosions and
• 14:29
  setbacks. Some resulted from SpaceX's
• 14:31
  developmental approach of pushing test
• 14:33
  vehicles to or past their limits. Others
• 14:36
  were more unexpected, like when a
• 14:38
  Starship vehicle erupted in a massive
• 14:40
  fireball during ground testing last
• 14:42
  June.
• 14:43
  >> Meanwhile, competition is emerging. Jeff
• 14:46
  Bezos's New Glenn rocket successfully
• 14:49
  launched for the first time in January
• 14:51
  2025 and completed its first booster
• 14:54
  landing in November. Blue Origin is
• 14:57
  planning a third New Glenn launch in
• 14:59
  late February.
• 15:00
  >> And late last year, Blue Origin revealed
• 15:03
  it's developing a larger Superheavy
• 15:05
  variant of New Glenn, which more
• 15:07
  directly competes with Starship.
• 15:09
  >> So, while SpaceX continues to dominate
• 15:12
  the global launch market, other players
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  are starting to close the gap. It'll be
• 15:17
  interesting to see how the Starship V3
• 15:19
  test goes in March.
• 15:21
  >> And that wraps up today's episode of
• 15:23
  Astronomy Daily. Thanks for joining us
• 15:26
  for another journey through the cosmos.
• 15:28
  Remember to check out our website at
• 15:30
  astronomyaily.io
• 15:33
  for more space and astronomy news.
• 15:35
  >> And don't forget to follow us on social
• 15:37
  media at Astro Daily Pod for updates
• 15:40
  between episodes.
• 15:41
  >> Until next time, keep looking up.
• 15:43
  >> Clear skies, everyone.
• 15:56
  The stories were told.