The episode begins by announcing the discovery of a new astronomical object called Cloud 9, found through observations with the Hubble Space Telescope by NASA and the European Space Agency. Cloud 9 is described as a cosmic cloud without stars, rich in gas, and strongly dominated by dark matter. It is the first observation of such a structure in the universe, nicknamed Cloud 9. This discovery confirms the Relic model, a theoretical framework formulated years ago that describes primordial neutral hydrogen clouds dating back to the first phases of cosmic history. Cloud 9 is essentially a fossil residue of failed galactic evolution, what remains of a potential galaxy that never formed. Hubble's observations have established that Cloud 9 is completely starless, ruling out the possibility that it is merely a dwarf galaxy with emissions too faint for detection. Compared to other hydrogen clouds near the Milky Way, Cloud 9 is smaller, more compact, and surprisingly spherical. Its nucleus consists of neutral hydrogen, with a diameter of about 4,900 light-years and a gas quantity of approximately one million solar masses. However, to gravitationally bind this gas, the total mass should be around 5 billion solar masses, a discrepancy explained only by the overwhelming predominance of dark matter over ordinary matter. Dark matter is invisible and does not emit electromagnetic radiation, making it extremely difficult to study directly. With Cloud 9's discovery, scientists aim to gain new insights into dark matter's nature by analyzing how invisible gases respond to the gravity imposed by the dark matter present. The cloud is located near the spiral galaxy Messier 94 and appears to be physically associated with it. High-resolution radio observations show slight gas distortions compatible with possible gravitational interactions between Cloud 9 and Messier 94. Cloud 9 could evolve into a real galaxy in the future if it accumulates more mass, or it might remain stuck in this intermediate state—large enough to survive but insufficient to initiate star formation processes. The episode concludes with the host, Gianluca Liorni, signing off from ASI TV Daily.
