Hubble telescope helps discover a nearly invisible galaxy in rare image
Mashable
February 19, 2026
AI-Generated Deep Dive Summary
Astronomers have made a groundbreaking discovery using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, along with the European Space Agency's Euclid space observatory and the Japanese Subaru Telescope. They identified a nearly invisible galaxy, named Candidate Dark Galaxy-2 (CDG-2), which is one of the most dark matter-dominated galaxies ever found. This faint galaxy was detected not by its visible light but through its tightly clustered globular star clusters, which suggested an unseen gravitational force holding them together. The discovery highlights the potential for many more dim galaxies to exist undetected in the universe.
The journey began when four globular clusters were spotted unusually close to each other in the Perseus galaxy cluster, 300 million light-years away. Normally, such clusters would drift apart over time, but their tight grouping indicated a massive, unseen object anchoring them. After extensive statistical analysis and imaging with advanced telescopes, scientists confirmed the presence of CDG-2. While the galaxy emits minimal starlight—equivalent to only 6 million suns—it is estimated that 99% of its mass comes from dark matter.
This breakthrough is significant because it marks the first time a galaxy has been identified solely through its globular cluster population rather than visible light. The findings challenge our understanding of how many galaxies exist in the universe, as most are likely extremely faint and could be overlooked using traditional detection methods. This discovery also raises questions about dark matter's role in shaping galaxies and whether other hidden cosmic structures await discovery.
The research, published in *The Astrophysical Journal Letters*, underscores the importance of advanced telescopes
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Originally published on Mashable on 2/19/2026