New evidence for a Dark Matter Galaxy

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Dark Galaxy VIRGOHI 21 has no starlight but radio waves from neutral hydrogen betray its existence. The contours superimposed on this optical image indicate how much gas was detected. This material was presented to the American Astronomical Society m ...
Dark Galaxy VIRGOHI 21 has no starlight but radio waves from neutral hydrogen betray its existence. The contours superimposed on this optical image indicate how much gas was detected. This material was presented to the American Astronomical Society meeting in Washington, D. C. on January 12, 2006. CREDIT: Arecibo Observatory / Cardiff University / Isaac Newton Telescope / Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope

New evidence that VIRGOHI 21, a mysterious cloud of hydrogen in the Virgo Cluster 50 million light-years from the Earth, is a Dark Galaxy, emitting no star light, was presented today at the American Astronomical Society meeting in Washington, D. C. by an international team led by astronomers from the National Science Foundation’s Arecibo Observatory and from Cardiff University in the United Kingdom. Their results not only indicate the presence of a dark galaxy but also explain the long-standing mystery of its strangely stretched neighbour.


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