‘Cloud-9’ celestial object could solve dark matter mystery
CNN••general
Key Points:
- Astronomers have identified a starless gas cloud named "Cloud-9," believed to be dominated by dark matter and potentially a relic from early galaxy formation, as detailed in a recent study published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
- Cloud-9, discovered near the spiral galaxy Messier 94, spans 4,900 light-years and contains about 1 million solar masses of hydrogen, with an estimated 5 billion solar masses of dark matter providing gravitational support.
- The cloud represents a "failed galaxy" that has not accumulated enough mass to initiate star formation, offering a rare opportunity to study dark matter's role in galaxy evolution and the universe's early structure.
- While Cloud-9 might eventually form stars or lose its gas and
