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    Short WaveA failed galaxy could solve the dark matter mystery
    12 minEpisode 1417

    A failed galaxy could solve the dark matter mystery

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    Cloud 9 is a failed galaxy. It’s a clump of dark matter, called a dark matter halo, that never formed stars. But this failure could be the key to a mystery almost as old as the universe itself: dark matter. Scientists don’t know what dark matter is, but Cloud 9 could offer new clues. Three researchers weigh in on this new discovery and why it could be a missing piece to the story on how the universe formed.

    Check out our episode with astrophysicist Jorge Moreno on the mysterious Great Attractor and our summer series on space.

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    © NPRLength 12 min21 January 2026Episode 1417ScienceFactsEducationalUSAEpisodic

    Introducing Short Wave

    Introducing Short Wave

    This is an episodic podcast, so you can listen to it in any order, but episode one is a great place to start.

    Listen to episode one here
    11+ScienceFactsEducationalUSAEpisodic21 January 2026© NPR

    Cloud 9 is a failed galaxy. It’s a clump of dark matter, called a dark matter halo, that never formed stars. But this failure could be the key to a mystery almost as old as the universe itself: dark matter. Scientists don’t know what dark matter is, but Cloud 9 could offer new clues. Three researchers weigh in on this new discovery and why it could be a missing piece to the story on how the universe formed.

    Check out our episode with astrophysicist Jorge Moreno on the mysterious Great Attractor and our summer series on space.

    Have a scientific question you want us to answer? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.

    See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

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