When we think of galaxies we usually think of bright spiral galaxies full of stars and gas, but some galaxies have very few stars and look completely different. These are known as low surface brightness galaxies. They tend to have much more dark matter than normal galaxies like ours, and the normal matter they do have is usually in the form of gas with a small number of stars.

Astronomers surveyed 350 of these galaxies using the Green Bank Telescope (GBT), a world-class radio observatory. when they notice an extreme example of this. J0613+52 is 270 million light-years away and appears to have no stars. Just a big, spinning blob of gas.

“GBT accidentally entered the wrong coordinates and found this object. This galaxy consists only of gas; it has no visible stars. Stars “They may be there, but we can’t see them.” Karen O’Neill, senior scientist at Green Bank Observatory, said:

The team was using several telescopes to study the properties of 350 galaxies when they encountered this unique object. Gas is the fuel for creating new stars, but they need to be close together for gravity to kick in and stars to be born. This does not appear to be the case for J0613+52.

“All we know is that this galaxy is an incredibly gas-rich galaxy. It’s not showing star formation as we’d expect, probably because its gas is so dispersed. They’re also too far away from other galaxies to contribute to star formation through any encounters. J0613+52 is both solid and underdeveloped.” “This may be our first discovery of a nearby galaxy composed of primordial gas,” O’Neill added.

This galaxy is truly a fascinating mystery. Researchers believe it will be important to follow this object with deep optical observations to find stars that may be present in this galaxy. But astronomers believe that it will be important to find more such objects with the help of radio observatories.

“A full-sky survey with a highly sensitive instrument like the Green Bank Telescope could reveal more such objects,” O’Neill said.