News Cosmology

Scientists mapped dark matter around galaxies in the early universe

The 1.5 million galaxies appear as they were 12 billion years ago

illustration that shows light (white lines) from the cosmic microwave background (in orange and blue) passing through other galaxies (in purple) on its way to Earth

Light from the cosmic microwave background (right, illustrated in orange and blue) passed by distant galaxies (purple) on its way to Earth. The gravity of those galaxies bent that light (white lines), revealing their distribution of dark matter.

Reiko Matsushita

By Emily Conover

Scientists have mapped out the dark matter around some of the earliest, most distant galaxies yet.