#dwarf galaxy

[quiltofstars]

IC 1613, a dwarf irregular galaxy in Cetus, the Sea Monster // David Trimble

[mindblowingscience]

The Milky Way may have devoured another galaxy named Loki, and astronomers think they've found its remains

"We might have detected one of the various small systems that contributed to form our Milky Way."

Our home galaxy didn't pop into existence all at once. The Milky Way was formed gradually, as smaller galaxies, or dwarf galaxies, were subsumed into our own galaxy over billions of years. It turns out that the stars leftover from these dwarf galaxies still share characteristics, and scientists are getting better at identifying them. By studying their similarities, scientists use these stars to determine their galaxies of origin. A team of astronomers say that they have identified a sample of these 20 stars that — due to their similar features — may have grown up together in a dwarf galaxy which the researchers have dubbed "Loki."

Continue Reading.

[livingforstars]

Ghost Galaxy NGC 2915 - July 15th, 1998.

"How do you find a nearly invisible galaxy? Pictured above is the blue compact dwarf (BCD) galaxy NGC 2915. In visible light, shown above in yellow, this galaxy appears to be a normal dwarf galaxy, as indicated by the yellow smudge in the image center. Yet when imaged in a very specific colour, shown in blue, a whole spiral galaxy appears. This specific colour is in the radio band and is preferentially emitted by neutral hydrogen atoms. Much about BCD galaxies remains mysterious, such as how the neutral hydrogen obtained its shape, what drives current star formation, and why there is so much dark matter. NGC 2915 is located at the relatively nearby distance of 15 million light-years - just outside our Local Group of Galaxies."

[spacetelescopescience]

Dwarf galaxy Leo P—the clustering of blue stars at lower right—has an oddball history. After an early burst of star formation, its star production shut down. But unlike most dwarf galaxies, star formation reignited and continues today: https://bit.ly/4j6OgIQ #AAS245

[refuge-in-oblivion]

© Piotr Czerski

© Dane Vetter

© Christian Bertincourt

© NASA, ESA, N. Smith, and the Hubble Heritage Team

[of-stars-and-dust]

Astronomy Picture of the Day

2026 February 13

NGC 147 and NGC 185

Image Credit & Copyright: Chuck Ayoub

Explanation: Dwarf galaxies NGC 147 (left) and NGC 185 stand side by side in this deep telescopic portrait. The two are not-often-imaged satellite galaxies of M31, the great spiral Andromeda Galaxy, some 2.5 million light-years away. Their separation on the sky, less than one degree across a pretty field of view toward the constellation Cassiopeia, translates to only about 35 thousand light-years at Andromeda's distance, but Andromeda itself is found well outside this frame. Brighter and more famous satellite galaxies of Andromeda, M32 and M110, are seen much closer to the great spiral. NGC 147 and NGC 185 have been identified as binary galaxies, forming a gravitationally stable binary system. But recently discovered faint dwarf galaxy Cassiopeia II also seems to be part of their system, forming a gravitationally bound group within Andromeda's intriguing population of small satellite galaxies.

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)

NASA Official: Amber Straughn

A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,

NASA Science Activation

& Michigan Tech. U.

[colorpicked-pride-flags-jwst]

Abrosexual flag colorpicked from dwarf galaxy Sextans A with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

[zespaceblog]

JWST Spots Leo P

The James Webb Space Telescope, operated by NASA, has captured a stunning view of stars scattered across the Leo P dwarf galaxy, located approximately 5 million light-years away in the constellation Leo. The stars' blue hues indicate ongoing star formation in the galaxy, as younger stars typically emit bluer light compared to stars like our Sun.