Seeing with neutrinos: how astronomers are mapping the cosmos without light

A vast telescope buried beneath Antarctica, called IceCube, has captured the first neutrino map of our Galaxy. Neutrinos are the most abundant subatomic particles in the Universe, but they are difficult to detect because their interactions with matter are weak — they can travel through the entire Earth unimpeded. The nascent field of neutrino astronomy is now turning the particles into a tool to peer into places where light doesn’t reach, such as the dense mælstroms of matter swirling around supermassive black holes. Ultimately, neutrinos could help to unveil the mysterious source of high-energy cosmic rays.