Hubble finds no stars in radio-discovered Cloud-9, reported as starless galaxy

At the American Astronomical Society meeting in Phoenix, COPAG executive committee member Rachael Beaton reported the discovery of a starless galaxy called Cloud-9. The object was first detected with radio telescopes and examined with NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope.

Hubble follow-up observations searched for stars commensurate with the radio‑emitting gas and failed to find them. Such starless galaxies have long been theorized and are thought to be mainly composed of dark matter, and the release said the discovery of this relic cloud was a surprise.

Results have been published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters. Beaton, who is on the research team and is affiliated with STScI, said, "Among our galactic neighbors, there might be a few abandoned houses out there."

Key Topics

Science, Hubble Space Telescope, Rachael Beaton, Radio Telescopes, Dark Matter, Astrophysical Journal Letters