Astronomers have discovered a remarkable new cosmic object using the Hubble Space Telescope: a cloud of dark matter and gas with no stars, located near the spiral galaxy Messier 94 about 14 million light-years away. Nicknamed “Cloud 9”, it is one of the few dark matter-dominated clouds in the local universe.

Unlike typical galaxies, this cloud shows no signs of star formation and provides a rare opportunity to help identify the early processes of galaxy formation as well as help scientists understand the role of dark matter in the early stages; It represents most of the mass in the universe. ESA and Hubble identify ‘failed galaxy’ Cloud 9, providing insight into dark matter and galaxy formation. The discovery of Cloud 9 confirms the existence of Reonization-Limited Hydrogen I Clouds, or RELHIC, ESA reports.

Hubble’s advanced camera for the survey made it possible to detect that no stars were present, ruling out the possibility of a faint dwarf galaxy, team members said. Team leader Alejandro Benitez-Lambhe described the object as a “failed galaxy” that provides important information about how galaxies begin and why some never form stars.

Cloud 9 is dense, spherical, and 4,900 light-years wide, containing dark matter five billion times the mass of the Sun. Hydrogen exists but cannot form stars, serving as a dark matter laboratory. The Cloud 9 discovery suggests that there are many starless RELHICs hidden among nearby galaxies.

The researchers propose that other similar RELHIC galaxies may exist nearby, known as ‘abandoned homes’, of which Cloud 9 could aid in future discoveries and understanding of the evolution of galaxies. The discovery, presented at AAS (The American Astronomical Society) 247 in Phoenix and published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, highlights Hubble’s role in revealing hidden cosmic objects.