Article: Mystery matter: through a lens, darkly. (dark matters inside galaxies)

Mystery Matter: Through a Lens, Darkly

Using faint background light from some of the most distant reaches of the universe, researchers have created the first "map" depicting the distribution of huge clumps of dark matter hidden inside galaxy clusters. The imaging technique, which relies on newly developed computer software to analyze low levels of light and to detect that light's bending by gravity, may one day help astronomers map the concentration of dark matter over large regions of the sky.

The finding "has the potential to be a major breakthrough," says astrophysicist John N. Bahcall at Princeton (N.J.) University. "What's most exciting is that the ...