Hyperkähler manifolds are higher-dimensional analogs of K3 surfaces. Verbitsky and Markmann recently proved that their period map is an open embedding. In a joint work with E. Macri, we explicitly determine the image of this map in some cases. I will explain this result together with a nice application (found by Bayer and Mongardi) to the (almost complete) determination of the image of the period map for cubic fourfolds, hereby partially recovering a result of Laza.[-]