title: Infrared dark cloud
text: # Infrared dark cloud
  
  An infrared dark cloud (IRDC) is a cold, dense region of a giant molecular cloud. They can be seen in silhouette against the bright diffuse mid-infrared emission from the galactic plane.
  
  ## Discovery
  
  Infrared dark clouds have only been recently discovered in 1996 using the ISO and therefore are in need of further research.
  
  ## Importance
  
  Astronomers believe that they represent the earliest stage in the formation of high-mass stars and are therefore of great importance for understanding the star formation process as a whole.
  
  