HUBBLE ATLAS
A dark field with stars and galaxies of various sizes speckled throughout the image. A particularly bright star is visible in the upper left region of the image.

Stars

Field surrounding Cloud-9

January 5, 2026 · ESA/Hubble · Canes Venatici

Zoom to full resolution See where it is in the 3D sky Original on ESA/Hubble ↗

A team using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has uncovered a new type of astronomical object —a starless, gas-rich, dark-matter cloud that is considered a “relic” or remnant of early galaxy formation. Nicknamed “Cloud-9,” this is the first confirmed detection of such an object in the Universe

This image shows the blank field of the surrounding region of Cloud-9. The image identifying its location can be found here .

Image description

Image description : A dark field with stars and galaxies of various sizes speckled throughout the image. A particularly bright star is visible in the upper left region of the image.