Dark Matter Mapped: Webb’s Unprecedented Universe Discovery

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Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your source


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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.


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>> 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.


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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


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stretches of the Pacific, Atlantic, and


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Indian oceans. For example, Poland's AB


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Dabberlonsky station will see 92% of the


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sun covered while McMmetoro station in


00:12:06.399 --> 00:12:09.030
the US will see 86%.


00:12:09.040 --> 00:12:11.190
Even distant cities like Durban in South


00:12:11.200 --> 00:12:14.550
Africa will witness about 16% coverage.


00:12:14.560 --> 00:12:16.710
Weather could be a significant factor


00:12:16.720 --> 00:12:20.230
though. Mierney station averages 65%


00:12:20.240 --> 00:12:22.790
cloud cover in February, while Concordia


00:12:22.800 --> 00:12:25.670
has a clearer profile with about 35%


00:12:25.680 --> 00:12:28.150
coverage. and temperatures can drop as


00:12:28.160 --> 00:12:31.269
low as minus 112°


00:12:31.279 --> 00:12:32.550
F.


00:12:32.560 --> 00:12:35.030
>> Interestingly, the eclipse itself might


00:12:35.040 --> 00:12:37.509
improve viewing conditions. The sudden


00:12:37.519 --> 00:12:39.430
temperature drop from the eclipse can


00:12:39.440 --> 00:12:41.509
disrupt local cloud formation,


00:12:41.519 --> 00:12:43.829
potentially causing convective clouds to


00:12:43.839 --> 00:12:46.150
dissipate. Though, if you're one of the


00:12:46.160 --> 00:12:48.230
handful of researchers stationed in


00:12:48.240 --> 00:12:50.710
Antarctica next month, you might be in


00:12:50.720 --> 00:12:53.509
for a spectacular show, assuming the


00:12:53.519 --> 00:12:55.750
clouds cooperate and you can brave the


00:12:55.760 --> 00:12:58.790
extreme cold. And finally, in some late


00:12:58.800 --> 00:13:00.949
breaking news, we have an update on


00:13:00.959 --> 00:13:03.990
SpaceX's Starship development program.


00:13:04.000 --> 00:13:06.710
According to a post from CEO Elon Musk,


00:13:06.720 --> 00:13:08.949
the delayed first test of SpaceX's


00:13:08.959 --> 00:13:12.069
upgraded Starship rocket version 3 is


00:13:12.079 --> 00:13:15.030
now slated for mid-March. This third


00:13:15.040 --> 00:13:17.509
version of Starship is larger and more


00:13:17.519 --> 00:13:19.750
powerful than previous iterations.


00:13:19.760 --> 00:13:22.790
Crucially, SpaceX plans to use Starship


00:13:22.800 --> 00:13:25.590
V3 to launch its next generation


00:13:25.600 --> 00:13:27.509
Starlink satellites, which will be


00:13:27.519 --> 00:13:30.069
capable of faster data speeds, but are


00:13:30.079 --> 00:13:32.550
heavier and larger. It's also the first


00:13:32.560 --> 00:13:34.470
version designed to dock with other


00:13:34.480 --> 00:13:37.030
Starships in Earth orbit, a capability


00:13:37.040 --> 00:13:39.190
the company needs to reach the moon or


00:13:39.200 --> 00:13:41.829
Mars. This comes as SpaceX faces


00:13:41.839 --> 00:13:43.430
pressure from the Trump administration


00:13:43.440 --> 00:13:45.829
to return US astronauts to the lunar


00:13:45.839 --> 00:13:47.829
surface before the end of its second


00:13:47.839 --> 00:13:50.870
term. SpaceX was making progress toward


00:13:50.880 --> 00:13:54.629
a launch of Starship V3 in late 2025,


00:13:54.639 --> 00:13:56.550
but in November, the booster stage


00:13:56.560 --> 00:13:58.629
suffered a major explosion during


00:13:58.639 --> 00:14:01.350
testing that blew out an entire side of


00:14:01.360 --> 00:14:03.750
the steel rocket. The company said it


00:14:03.760 --> 00:14:05.430
was performing gas system pressure


00:14:05.440 --> 00:14:07.670
testing when the explosion happened, but


00:14:07.680 --> 00:14:09.829
hasn't offered a more detailed breakdown


00:14:09.839 --> 00:14:12.310
of what went wrong. The second version


00:14:12.320 --> 00:14:15.110
of Starship was a mixed bag. The program


00:14:15.120 --> 00:14:17.430
successfully reached orbit, deployed


00:14:17.440 --> 00:14:19.430
dummy versions of next generation


00:14:19.440 --> 00:14:21.910
Starling satellites and caught multiple


00:14:21.920 --> 00:14:24.069
booster stages after they returned to


00:14:24.079 --> 00:14:27.189
the launchpad. But Starship V2 also


00:14:27.199 --> 00:14:29.030
suffered several explosions and


00:14:29.040 --> 00:14:31.670
setbacks. Some resulted from SpaceX's


00:14:31.680 --> 00:14:33.829
developmental approach of pushing test


00:14:33.839 --> 00:14:36.870
vehicles to or past their limits. Others


00:14:36.880 --> 00:14:38.629
were more unexpected, like when a


00:14:38.639 --> 00:14:40.790
Starship vehicle erupted in a massive


00:14:40.800 --> 00:14:42.550
fireball during ground testing last


00:14:42.560 --> 00:14:43.430
June.


00:14:43.440 --> 00:14:46.150
>> Meanwhile, competition is emerging. Jeff


00:14:46.160 --> 00:14:49.030
Bezos's New Glenn rocket successfully


00:14:49.040 --> 00:14:51.430
launched for the first time in January


00:14:51.440 --> 00:14:54.470
2025 and completed its first booster


00:14:54.480 --> 00:14:57.189
landing in November. Blue Origin is


00:14:57.199 --> 00:14:59.509
planning a third New Glenn launch in


00:14:59.519 --> 00:15:00.949
late February.


00:15:00.959 --> 00:15:03.269
>> And late last year, Blue Origin revealed


00:15:03.279 --> 00:15:05.590
it's developing a larger Superheavy


00:15:05.600 --> 00:15:07.670
variant of New Glenn, which more


00:15:07.680 --> 00:15:09.910
directly competes with Starship.


00:15:09.920 --> 00:15:12.629
>> So, while SpaceX continues to dominate


00:15:12.639 --> 00:15:14.949
the global launch market, other players


00:15:14.959 --> 00:15:17.269
are starting to close the gap. It'll be


00:15:17.279 --> 00:15:19.750
interesting to see how the Starship V3


00:15:19.760 --> 00:15:21.509
test goes in March.


00:15:21.519 --> 00:15:23.590
>> And that wraps up today's episode of


00:15:23.600 --> 00:15:26.150
Astronomy Daily. Thanks for joining us


00:15:26.160 --> 00:15:28.629
for another journey through the cosmos.


00:15:28.639 --> 00:15:30.790
Remember to check out our website at


00:15:30.800 --> 00:15:33.030
astronomyaily.io


00:15:33.040 --> 00:15:35.670
for more space and astronomy news.


00:15:35.680 --> 00:15:37.430
>> And don't forget to follow us on social


00:15:37.440 --> 00:15:39.990
media at Astro Daily Pod for updates


00:15:40.000 --> 00:15:41.430
between episodes.


00:15:41.440 --> 00:15:43.829
>> Until next time, keep looking up.


00:15:43.839 --> 00:15:56.069
>> Clear skies, everyone.


00:15:56.079 --> 00:16:00.040
The stories were told.