Abbiamo scoperto un'altra galassia satellite della Via Lattea
Si chiama Crater 2 e si trova a circa 380.000 anni luce dalla Terra in direzione della costellazione del Cratere e ha un diametro di 7.000 anni luce.
Questa piccola galassia fa parte delle galassie nane che orbitano intorno alla Via Lattea e va ad aggiungersi alle decine già conosciute del Gruppo Locale.
The galaxy eluded detection for so long because its stars are spread out from one another, giving it a ghostly appearance.
Torrealba says it may not be alone. The Crater 2 dwarf is near four other new-found objects: the Crater globular star cluster as well as three dwarf galaxies in Leo. All may be part of a group that is just now falling into the Milky Way.
Until now, though, the new galaxy has led a quiet life, never venturing near a giant galaxy. We know this because the galaxy is round. If it had encountered a giant, gravity would have bent the dwarf out of shape.
