Scientists Discover Cloud-9, a Starless βGalaxy That Wasnβtβ NYT: Science By:Katrina Miller 8 January 2026 at 19:41 Astronomers announced the discovery of a starless cloud of hydrogen gas, a pristine relic of the cosmos that is almost as old as time itself. Β© NASA, ESA, VLA, Gagandeep Anand (STScI), Alejandro Benitez-Llambay (University of Milano-Bicocca)Cloud-9, 14 million light-years from Earth, with radio data collected from the Very Large Array in New Mexico revealing the cloud in magenta. The circle marks the peak of radio emissions, where researchers focused their search for stars.