dwarf galaxy

American  

[dwawrf gal-uhk-see] / ˈdwɔrf ˌgæl ək si /

noun

dwarf galaxies plural

1. Astronomy. a comparatively small, dim galaxy containing relatively few stars for a galaxy.

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dwarf galaxy Scientific  

1. A small, dim galaxy, intermediate in size between a regular galaxy and a globular cluster. Like larger galaxies, dwarf galaxies are classified as elliptical, spiral, or irregular based on their shape. The closest known galaxy to the Milky Way is a dwarf galaxy in Canis Major that is believed to be losing stars to ours. Many astronomers think that most of the large galaxies seen today were formed either by collisions of dwarf galaxies, which formed first in the aftermath of the Big Bang, or by larger galaxies attracting material away from dwarf galaxies.

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• dwarf galaxies
  plural

Example Sentences

This rare supernova, called 2023ufx, originated from the core collapse of a red supergiant star, exploded on the outskirts of a nearby dwarf galaxy.

From Science Daily • Nov. 25, 2024

A neighboring dwarf galaxy ripped off one of NGC 6744’s arms.

From New York Times • May 23, 2024

A leading theory is that the Milky Way's collision with a dwarf galaxy nearly 10 billion years ago was a turning point, setting in motion the changes that amounted to our modern galaxy.

From Salon • Nov. 21, 2023

SN1987A is sited a mere 170,000 light-years from us in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a dwarf galaxy adjacent to our own Milky Way Galaxy.

From BBC • Aug. 31, 2023

The new measurements suggest the dwarf galaxy may have formed billions of years after the big bang—much later than other galaxies close to ours.

From Scientific American • Mar. 24, 2023