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Hubble, Euclid, and Subaru Validate Ultra-Faint Galaxy Candidate That Is 99% Dark Matter

Astronomers traced a compact group of four globular clusters to uncover a hidden system in the Perseus cluster.

Overview

  • The object, dubbed Candidate Dark Galaxy-2, shows a faint diffuse glow surrounding four tightly grouped globular clusters.
  • Peer-reviewed analysis in The Astrophysical Journal Letters reports that roughly 99% of the system’s mass appears to be dark matter.
  • Researchers describe it as the first galaxy detected solely through its globular cluster population.
  • Preliminary luminosity estimates diverge across reports, ranging from about 1 million to about 6 million Sun-like stars, with the clusters contributing roughly 16% of the visible content.
  • The statistical search method that flagged CDG-2 also identified 10 previously confirmed low-surface-brightness galaxies and two additional dark-galaxy candidates.