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Candidate Ultra-Faint Galaxy in Perseus Appears 99% Dark Matter

Researchers traced the system via four globular clusters detected by Hubble, Euclid plus Subaru.

Overview

  • The object, designated CDG-2, lies in the Perseus cluster about 300 million light-years from Earth.
  • Astronomers first identified a tight grouping of four globular clusters, then deep imaging revealed faint diffuse starlight consistent with a bound galaxy.
  • Early estimates point to an extreme dark-matter fraction near 99%, based on the system’s minimal stellar light.
  • CDG-2 shines with roughly the light of six million suns, with its four clusters contributing about 16% of that visible emission.
  • The team suggests most ordinary matter was likely stripped by environmental interactions in Perseus, and they call for spectroscopic and kinematic follow-up to confirm mass and dynamics.