We discuss several novel astrophysical methods for elucidating the nature and the distribution of dark matter in the Universe. First, we argue that subhalos of the Milky Way's dark matter halo traveling through the disk will leave a characteristic imprint in the motion of nearby stars. These "stellar wakes" can be probed using precise astrometric data, for instance from Gaia. In the second part of the talk, we illustrate how gravitational lensing and pulsar timing can constrain compact dark matter objects such as primordial black holes or axion mini-clusters. Finally, we comment on the prospects of probing the dark sector using gravitational wave signals form neutron star mergers.