Black holes may be swallowing invisible matter that slows the movement of stars

An illustration of a supermassive black hole ringed with a fiery orange accretion disk ending in a thick ring of black dust

For the first time, scientists may have discovered indirect evidence that large amounts of invisible dark matter surround black holes. The discovery, if confirmed, could represent a major breakthrough in dark matter research.

Dark matter makes up around 85% of all matter in the universe, but it is almost completely invisible to astronomers. This is because, unlike the matter that comprises stars, planets and everything else around us, dark matter doesn't interact with light and can't be seen.