Nine Dwarf Galaxies Discovered Orbiting Around the Milky Way

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This illustration maps out the previously discovered dwarf satellite galaxies (in blue) and eight of the newly discovered candidates (in red) as they sit outside the Milky Way / Yao-Yuan Mao, Ralf Kaehler, Risa Wechsler (KIPAC/SLAC).

Astronomers analyzing imaging data from the Dark Energy Survey have discovered nine new potential dwarf galaxies orbiting our own galaxy—the largest number ever discovered all at once. The findings, published as two studies available on arXiv, may help explain some of the mysteries about dark matter, that invisible substance holding galaxies together.