Hubble Telescope Identifies Starless 'Failed Galaxy' Cloud-9, Confirming Dark Matter Theory

Astronomers have uncovered a cosmic enigma: a starless, gas-rich cloud of dark matter that may represent the universe's first confirmed 'failed galaxy.'

Using the Hubble Space Telescope and the FAST radio telescope, researchers identified Cloud-9, a Reionization-Limited H I Cloud (RELHIC) containing approximately 5 billion solar masses of dark matter and 1 million solar masses of hydrogen gas.

Located 14 million light-years from Earth near the Messier 94 galaxy, Cloud-9 supports the Lambda cold dark matter (LCDM) model by validating theoretical predictions about dark matter halos.

“Cloud-9 lies at the very upper end of the dark halo mass range... being visible through radio observations. This is indeed a strong confirmation of a cornerstone prediction of LCDM,” stated Deep Anand, lead author of the study.

The cloud’s survival as a starless entity depends on its isolation from disruptive forces like ram pressure stripping and ultraviolet heating, as noted by Alejandro Benitez-Llambay: “To survive as a dark, gas-rich cloud... the system must remain sufficiently isolated.”

Andrew Fox described Cloud-9 as “a cosmic relic... a unique 'window into the dark universe.’” Observations revealed that fewer than 10% of such gas clouds retain their starless status due to external influences.

The discovery was confirmed through FAST’s initial detection in 2021 and subsequent verification using Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys.

While Cloud-9 aligns with LCDM predictions, uncertainties remain about the prevalence of similar objects and the mechanisms preserving their starless state.

Further observations are required to determine whether this discovery represents an outlier or a broader class of cosmic structures.