Hubble finds Cloud 9, a starless dark-matter cloud, offering insights into galaxy formation and dark matter.
Hubble Telescope reveals Cloud 9, a dark-matter-dominated cloud with no stars near M94.
Photo Credit: NASA, ESA, VLA, Gagandeep Anand (STScI), Alejandro Benitez-Llambay (University of Milano-Bicocca); Image
Astronomers have discovered a remarkable new cosmic object using the Hubble Space Telescope: a cloud of dark matter and gas containing no stars, located about 14 million light-years away near the spiral galaxy Messier 94. Nicknamed “Cloud 9”, it is one of the few dark-matter-dominated clouds in the local universe. Unlike typical galaxies, this cloud exhibits no signs of star formation and offers a rare opportunity to help identify the early processes of galaxy formation as well as help scientists understand the role dark matter plays in its infancy; it represents most of the mass in the universe.
According to an ESA report, the discovery of Cloud 9 confirms the existence of Reionization-Limited Hydrogen I Clouds, or RELHICs. Team members said Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys made it possible to detect that no stars are present, ruling out a faint dwarf galaxy. Alejandro Benitez-Llambay, team leader, described the object as a “failed galaxy” that offers critical insight into how galaxies begin and why some never form stars.
Cloud 9 is compact, spherical, and 4,900 light-years across, with dark matter five billion times the Sun's mass. Hydrogen exists but cannot form stars, serving as a dark matter laboratory.
The researchers propose that other similar RELHICs might be present near galaxies, known as ‘abandoned houses', of which Cloud 9 could aid future searches and understanding of the evolution of galaxies.
The discovery, presented at AAS (The American Astronomical Society) 247 in Phoenix and published in Astrophysical Journal Letters, highlights Hubble's role in revealing hidden cosmic objects.
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