APOD: 2026 October 25 – Dark Matter in a Simulated Universe
APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 October 25 – Dark… Today’s APOD Archive Submissions Index Search Calendar RSS Education About Discuss APOD Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. Dark Matter […]
On October 25, 2026, the Astronomy Picture of the Day highlighted the presence of dark matter in the universe, as part of the Hayden Planetarium's "Dark Universe" space show. The image, created through a complex computer simulation, depicted dark matter, which is invisible yet exerts a gravitational pull on visible matter, as black filaments strewn throughout the cosmos.
Visible matter, in contrast, appeared as orange clumps. The simulation matched astronomical observations, suggesting dark matter makes up most of the universe's mass. Despite its strange nature, dark matter is no longer considered the most mysterious source of gravity. Dark energy, a uniform repulsive force now thought to dominate the universe's expansion, has taken that title. The image was created by Tom Abel and Ralf Kaehler from the KIPAC at SLAC, and AMNH.
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- APOD: 2026 October 25 – Dark Matter in a Simulated Universe science.nasa.gov
