ROME, March 2 (Xinhuanet) -- Radio astronomers might have stumbled upon the first galaxy composed of dark matter or still mysterious and invisible matter which scientists believe most of the universeis made of, Italian news agency ANSA reported Wednesday.

    The so-called "dark galaxy" is located in the Virgo cluster about 50 million light years away from the Earth and rotating in away similar to regular galaxies made of visible matter, but it hasno stars.

    The discovery made by astronomers from the Cardiff University in collaboration with Italian scientists is to be published next month in the Astrophysical Journal, the report said.

    The "dark galaxy" has been observed through the Lovell radio telescope at the University of Manchester's Jodrell Bank Observatory in Britain. It was detected thanks to radio astronomy techniques which have recently been used to observe complex structures such as galaxies made of gas instead of stars.

    The dark matter is named due to the fact that it absorbs ratherthan emits radiation. The only proof of its existence is the gravitational pull which it exerts on the visible matter.

    Astronomers believe the universe contains about 5 percent of visible matter, 25 percent of dark matter and 70 percent dark energy.

    Only recently have radio astronomy techniques allowed the observation of hydrogen-based structures which do not contain stars. Enditem