News Astronomy

A gas clump in the Milky Way’s neighborhood might be a ‘dark galaxy’

Dark matter–dominated galaxies, if they exist, may offer clues to galaxy formation

This image shows the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope, a radio dish surrounded by lush vegetation. It helped identify the potential dark galaxy.

High-resolution images from the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope, a radio telescope in southern China, have helped pinpoint a potential “dark galaxy” in the Milky Way’s neighborhood.

wonry/Getty Images

By Mara Johnson-Groh

A potential dark galaxy — one made primarily of dark matter — may have been spotted in the local universe.

Dark galaxies are theoretical, starless systems whose discovery could help astronomers better understand galaxy formation.