A previously unknown star cluster, designated Garro 04, has been identified in the Milky Way's disk.

What it means

Astronomers have discovered a new star cluster, named Garro 04, hidden within the crowded disk of the Milky Way. The cluster is about 5 billion years old and was first identified as an unusual source in data from the ESO/KMOS VVVX survey. Its classification remains unclear, as it does not fit neatly into known types of star clusters.

Accuracy & sourcesGrounded

The claim is solidly reported by Phys.org, which is referencing a recent preprint on arXiv (arXiv:2609.24811v1) from the ESO/KMOS VVVX survey team. The reporting closely mirrors the preprint's findings, though the news article may simplify some nuances of the cluster's ambiguous classification.

How new

Genuinely new: the underlying preprint was posted on 21 September 2026, and news coverage appeared on 30 September 2026.

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