What's Happening?
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, in collaboration with ESA's Euclid space observatory and the Subaru Telescope, has identified a galaxy, CDG-2, that is heavily dominated by dark matter. Located in the Perseus galaxy cluster, CDG-2 was detected through its
globular cluster population, marking a novel method of galaxy identification. The galaxy's mass is predominantly dark matter, with only a small fraction of visible stars. This discovery adds to the understanding of low-surface-brightness galaxies, which are challenging to detect due to their faint nature.
Why It's Important?
The identification of CDG-2 provides valuable insights into the nature of dark matter and the structure of the universe. Understanding such galaxies can help astronomers learn more about the distribution of dark matter, which constitutes a significant portion of the universe's mass. This discovery also demonstrates the effectiveness of using globular clusters as indicators of hidden galaxies, potentially leading to more discoveries of similar objects. The findings could influence future astronomical research and the development of new observational techniques.
