A groundbreaking study has revealed a massive, invisible dark object in space, which has a mass million times greater than the sun. Located over 10 billion light-years away, this enigmatic entity doesn't emit light, making it invisible to the naked eye.

According to scientists, it could be a small clump of dark matter 100 times smaller than any previously detected or a compact, inactive dwarf galaxy. Researchers detailed their findings in two papers published in Nature Astronomy and Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Since it doesn't emit light, scientists discovered it through gravitational lensing, where the dark matter's gravity bends the light of a more distant object. This ancient entity is seen as it existed when Earth was just 6.5 billion years old, offering a glimpse into the universe's past.

"It's an impressive achievement to detect such a low mass object at such a large distance from us," said Chris Fassnacht, professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of California, Davis, who co-authored the study.

"Finding low-mass objects such as this one is critical for learning about the nature of dark matter," he added.

The newly discovered object is so small that it was detected by inducing a small pinch in the distorted image caused by a much larger object. 

Source:Ndtv