Webb's Most Detailed Dark Matter Map Yet Shows 800K Galaxies In Stunning Clarity

by Aaron Leong — Tuesday, January 27, 2026, 10:55 AM EDT

Using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers have been able to compile the most detailed map of dark matter ever produced, exposing the ghostly scaffolding that has guided the growth of our universe for billions of years.

astronomers reveal new 4 — With JWST, astronomers have produced one of the most detailed maps to date of dark matter. The overlaid contours mark regions of equal dark-matter density, highlighting where this invisible matter (in a blue) is most strongly concentrated. (Credit: Dr. Gavin Leroy/COSMOS-Webb)

Published in the Nature journal, the image is a high-definition look at the distribution of dark matter across a patch of sky known as the COSMOS (Cosmic Evolution Survey Deep Field) field. While dark matter neither emits nor reflects light, Webb was able to see it by observing how its massive gravitational pull warps the light of nearly 800,000 distant galaxies. Paying attention to weak gravitational lensing, the scientists were able to calculate exactly where the invisible mass is hiding based on the subtle distortions of the background star systems.

astronomers reveal new 1 — *Dark Matter distribution in the COSMOS field observed by the Hubble Space Telescope (left) and by the James Webb Space Telescope (right). (Credit: Dr. Gavin Leroy/Professor Richard Massey/COSMOS-Webb)*

Lead author Diana Scognamiglio of NASA’s JPL described the shift in clarity simply: "This is stunning." In fact, JWST's instruments allowed the team to identify galaxies twice as sharp as those captured in previous maps by the Hubble Space Telescope. The resulting image shows dense clumps of dark matter connected by long, spindly filaments, like a "cosmic web."

Moreover, the new study found that regular matter, such as stars, planets, and gas that make up just 5% of the universe, overlaps almost perfectly with the dark matter clusters. This observation confirms the long-standing theory that dark matter acted as the original gravitational anchor wherein billions of years ago, clumps of dark matter pulled in hydrogen and helium, creating the dense pockets necessary for the first stars to ignite.

Scientists argue that without the specific distribution and pull of dark matter, the heavy elements required for life might never have concentrated enough to form planets like Earth. By providing a clear view of how this web has evolved over the past 10 billion years, instruments like the JWST are helping researchers understand not just the history of the universe, but the mysterious properties of dark matter, too.

It must be noted that, while impressive for its accomplishment, this new map merely covers a region of the sky roughly 2.5 times the size of a full moon—it is only the beginning. Experts are already planning to expand these mapping efforts using, say, the upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which will cover an area many times larger.