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AstroKids › Everything in the sky › The Dark Matter Halo
part of the galaxy · invisible, surrounds and extends beyond the visible galaxy

The Dark Matter Halo

Invisible reservoir of unseen mass whose gravity holds the Milky Way together.

🚀 Travel there

What it is

Part of the galaxy: Parts of a galaxy rather than objects in it: arms, bars, the bulge. Every kind of thing there is →

Can you see it?

Not as one thing, no — the Dark Matter Halo is a place rather than a sight, and you are already inside it. What you go out and look at are the things in it, one at a time.

Worth knowing about the Dark Matter Halo

What it is made of
A vast reservoir of mass that doesn't shine, absorb, or reflect any light, but whose gravity holds the galaxy together.
How we know: The galaxy's rotation curve stays surprisingly flat instead of dropping off, implying a huge amount of unseen mass extending beyond the visible stars. Rung 6 — the distance to other galaxies
What makes it worth knowing
The only entry in this dataset never directly detected in any form of light.

Next to it

The Orion Armpart of the galaxyNot observableThe Galactic Bar and Bulgepart of the galaxyNaked eyeThe Stellar Halopart of the galaxyNot observableThe Milky Wayspiral galaxyNaked eyeProxima CentauristarWith effortAlpha Centauri A & Bbinary star systemNaked eye

Then go outside

Too big to look at all at once — but the things inside it are not. The Planetarium will show you which are up.

🌙 Plan an evening outside🌌 Everything else in the sky