Overview
- The object lies about 14–14.3 million light-years from Earth near the spiral galaxy Messier 94.
- FAST first detected Cloud-9 in neutral hydrogen, with the Green Bank Telescope and the Very Large Array confirming the signal before Hubble ruled out any starlight.
- Researchers classify Cloud-9 as a Reionization-Limited H I Cloud, reported as the first confirmed example of this predicted starless category.
- Measurements indicate a roughly 4,900-light-year extent, about one million solar masses of neutral hydrogen, no detectable rotation, and an inferred dark halo near five billion solar masses.
- Scientists say the object provides a rare laboratory for testing models of galaxy formation and dark matter and is spurring targeted searches for similar systems.