University of Virginia Acquires German-Made Telescope to Hunt for Dark Matter

The 5,000-pound DSA-2000 radio telescope will search for elusive axion particles at the Fan Mountain Observatory.

Apr. 8, 2026 at 8:55am

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A bold, abstract painting in earthy tones of brown, green, and blue, featuring sweeping geometric arcs, concentric circles, and precise spirals, conceptually representing the complex forces and structures of dark matter and axion particles in the universe.The University of Virginia's new radio telescope will use its specialized capabilities to search for elusive dark matter particles, illuminating one of the greatest mysteries of the cosmos.University of Virginia Today

The University of Virginia has acquired a German-made DSA-2000 radio telescope, a 16-foot (5-meter) diameter dish, to begin a specialized mission of hunting for dark matter at its Fan Mountain Observatory. The telescope, which weighs 5,000 pounds, recently completed a delicate three-hour forklift trek up a one-lane mountain road to reach its new home, where it will use its unique capabilities to detect faint signals from hypothetical axion particles that could make up dark matter.

Why it matters

Dark matter makes up about 85% of the universe's total mass, yet it remains one of the biggest mysteries in astrophysics. By using the DSA-2000 telescope to observe neutron stars, which have powerful magnetic fields that could interact with axions, the UVA team hopes to make groundbreaking discoveries about the nature of this invisible substance that shapes the structure of galaxies.

The details

The DSA-2000 telescope is uniquely tuned to detect the faint microwave signals that would be produced if invisible axion particles pass through the intense magnetic fields of neutron stars. Rather than trying to build a giant magnet on Earth, the UVA team is looking for the biggest magnets in the natural world - neutron stars - to act as cosmic traps for these elusive particles. By pointing the telescope at known populations of neutron stars, the researchers hope to turn the invisible into measurable data.

  • The DSA-2000 telescope arrived at the University of Virginia's Fan Mountain Observatory on March 31, 2026.
  • It took the telescope three weeks to cross the Atlantic Ocean and then three hours to complete the delicate forklift trek up the one-lane mountain road to reach the observatory.

The players

Brad Johnson

An associate professor of astronomy at the University of Virginia who is leading the dark matter research project using the DSA-2000 telescope.

University of Virginia

The public research university that acquired the German-made DSA-2000 radio telescope to conduct specialized research on dark matter and axion particles.

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What they’re saying

“The universe is made up of particles. We call one of these particles 'dark matter,' and it's intentionally provocative. We don't know what it is, but it acts gravitationally, influencing the universe in a detectable way. But it doesn't interact with light in the same way that the protons, neutrons, and electrons do. We can't see dark matter with our eyes or with light, but we can see it gravitationally.”

— Brad Johnson, Associate Professor of Astronomy

“It's kind of like fishing. You can't see all of the fish, but you can guess where they are if you know the lake well enough.”

— Brad Johnson, Associate Professor of Astronomy

What’s next

The UVA team plans to begin observations with the DSA-2000 telescope in the coming months, pointing it at known populations of neutron stars in search of the faint microwave signals that could indicate the presence of elusive axion particles.

The takeaway

The University of Virginia's acquisition of the specialized DSA-2000 telescope represents a significant step forward in the search for dark matter, one of the biggest unsolved mysteries in astrophysics. By using this unique instrument to detect potential interactions between axions and the powerful magnetic fields of neutron stars, the research team hopes to shed new light on the invisible substance that shapes the structure of galaxies throughout the universe.