Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have confirmed the existence of a never-before-seen type of astronomical object: a starless, dark-matter-dominated cloud of primordial gas. This relic, nicknamed “Cloud-9,” is considered a “failed galaxy” and offers a direct window into the Universe’s early formative years.
“It’s a tale of a failed galaxy,” said principal investigator Alejandro Benitez-Llambay. “Seeing no stars is what proves the theory right. We have found a primordial building block that hasn’t formed.” The object is classified as a Reionization-Limited H I Cloud (RELHIC), a long-theorized but never-confirmed fossil from the epoch just after the Big Bang, composed of neutral hydrogen.
The discovery was a surprise. Cloud-9 was first spotted in a radio survey by China’s FAST telescope and later studied by Hubble. “With Hubble’s sensitivity, we’re able to nail down that there’s nothing there,” explained lead author Gagandeep Anand, confirming the absolute absence of stars.
This phantom cloud is extraordinarily dense and spherical. Its core of hydrogen gas has a mass of about one million suns, but the entire structure is estimated to weigh a staggering 5 billion solar masses, meaning it is overwhelmingly composed of invisible dark matter. “This cloud is a window into the dark Universe,” said team member Andrew Fox. “Cloud-9 gives us a rare look at a dark-matter-dominated cloud.”
Located near the spiral galaxy Messier 94, Cloud-9 may be interacting with its neighbor. Its future remains uncertain; it could eventually gather more mass to form stars, or it may remain a pristine, starless relic. Its existence suggests many similar “failed galaxies” may be lurking in the cosmic shadows, overlooked because they emit no light.
The discovery of Cloud-9 provides crucial new insights into galaxy formation and the mysterious nature of dark matter, proving that some of the Universe’s most profound secrets are hidden not in stars, but in the darkness between them.
