Dark matter is the mysterious substance that makes up over 25 percent of the universe—it is basically invisible. “Conceptual metaphors seem to be the method of choice for explaining what, exactly, dark matter is,” writes Nadja Oertelt on the website for her new science publication, Massive. “Since our understanding of dark matter is in flux, and our measurements of dark matter are difficult to visualize, we thought that the most novel way to represent it would be to move away from the literal universe and into an animated one.” Oertelt produced this short video, animated by Daniela Sherer, to creatively visualize dark matter. It is voiced by Janna Levin, a Columbia University astrophysicist (listen to her explain what black holes sound like here). This is the first of a monthly animated series. You can follow Massive on Facebook and Twitter.