The Galaxy
in which our solar system exists is Milky Way Galaxy and Our Galactic home is a
member of Local Group of Galaxies. Local Group of Galaxies or The local
Galactic Group is home of 54 galaxies. Local Group of Galaxies lies in the
Virgo Super-cluster. Edwin Hubble introduced the term “The Local group” in his
book The Realm of the Nebulae. There are many dwarf galaxies in this Local
Group. Andromeda Galaxy is the largest galaxy in The Local Group. Andromeda
Galaxy (M31) is also closest spiral galaxy to Milky Way. Milky Way is the
second largest galaxy in this group. Triangulum Galaxy is the third largest
galaxy in this group. All the other galaxies are the Dwarf galaxies and most of
them orbit these three largest galaxies.
Image source: Wikipedia
Milky Way has sixteen satellite galaxies. Andromeda has 25
satellite galaxies and the Triangulum might have one satellite galaxy. All the
other galaxies are gravitationally not orbiting any of these largest galaxies
in The Local Group. Let’s take a look at dwarf galaxies orbiting the Milky Way
Galaxy.
Image source: Wikipedia
Above
diagram shows the closest dwarf galaxies orbiting our Milky Way Galaxy and they
take billions of years to orbit it. Sagittarius dwarf is the closest dwarf
galaxy to Milky Way. It is so close that it being ripped apart by Milky Way
right now. Stars in the Sagittarius dwarf are being added to the Milky Way
Galaxy. Formax Dwarf is the farthest away galaxy from the Milky Way Galaxy in
the Local group. The two dwarf galaxies can be seen in the southern sky; they
are Large Magellanic Cloud and Small Magellanic Cloud. Large Magellanic Cloud
is about 160 to 170 thousand light years away and small Magellanic cloud is a
bit farther at 200 thousand light years away from us. Large Magellanic Cloud
(LMC) is the brightest galaxy in the sky. It contains several billions of stars
and many are still forming in it. Small Megellanic Cloud contains several
hundred million stars. These two galaxies contains many beautiful nebulae.
Supernova Remnant N63A and SN 1987A are 160 to 170 thousand light years away
from us and that was further extent of our Galaxy and they both lie in Large
Megellanic Cloud. Other galaxies in Local Group of galaxies are IC 10, IC
1613, Pegasus Dwarf Irregular, Leo A, Aquarius Dwarf, Cetus Dwarf, Phoenix
Dwarf, Wolf-Lundmark-Melotte and Tucana Dwarf .
