Something unknown and unseen — a suspected population of ‘dark matter sub-halos’ — has been destroying the stars in the enormous tidal tail of the nearest star cluster to our sun, reports the ESA. This thin, elongated region of stars and interstellar gas extends into space beyond the Milky Way and was created by tidal forces between interacting galaxies. Data from the ESA’s Gaia star-mapping satellite have revealed evidence that the Hyades star cluster is being disrupted by the gravitational influence of a massive but unseen structure in our galaxy. “Gaia’s Forensic CSI” The third early data release of the Gaia Space Observatory measured the distances of hundreds of millions of objects that are many thousands of light years away, at an accuracy equivalent to measuring the thickness of hair at a distance of more than 2,000 kilometers. The data allows astronomers to forensically analyze our Milky Way neighborhood, and tackle crucial questions about the origin and future of our Galaxy.