NASA scientists have identified what they describe as the universe's first confirmed example of a starless, gas-rich object dominated by dark matter, shedding new light on how galaxies form.
The finding, detailed Monday on NASA's official website, is based on observations by the Hubble Space Telescope and centers on an object dubbed "Cloud-9,” detected near the spiral galaxy Messier 94.
"This is a tale of a failed galaxy,” said principal investigator Alejandro Benitez-Llambay of the University of Milano-Bicocca, explaining that the absence of stars is the key evidence, according to NASA.
"In science, we usually learn more from the failures than from the successes.”
Team member Andrew Fox of AURA/STScI added: "This cloud is a window into the dark universe,” noting that such objects offer rare observational access to dark matter, which does not emit light.
The results were published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters and presented on Monday at the 247th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Phoenix.
Follow-up imaging with Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys confirmed that Cloud-9 contains no stars, a conclusion underscored by lead author Gagandeep Anand of STScI.
"With Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys, we’re able to nail down that there’s nothing there,” he said.
According to NASA, researchers said the discovery supports long-standing theories about primordial "failed galaxies,” and opens new paths for studying the dark components of the early universe.
