What are Dwarf Galaxies?

Feb. 26, 2025

A team of scientists in the US, led by Indian-origin astrophysicist Raga Deepika Pucha, recently discovered the largest samples of intermediate-mass black holes and dwarf galaxies with active black holes.

About Dwarf Galaxies:

  • They are small galaxies that typically contain just a few billion stars, unlike their larger cousins, which can hold hundreds of billions.
  • They are the most abundant type of galaxy in the universe but are difficult to detect due to their low luminosity, low mass, and small size.
  • They are most commonly found in galaxy clusters, often as companions to larger galaxies.
    • Our Milky Way galaxy is orbited by more than 20 dwarf galaxies.
  • They are thought to have been created by gravitational forces in the early stages of the creation of these larger galaxies, or as a result of collisions between galaxies, forming from streams of material and dark matter ejected from the parent galaxies.
  • Because most of them come from galaxy collisions, many dwarf galaxies are grouped into irregular shapes.
    • However, some dwarf galaxies have spiral arms or look like mini-elliptical galaxies.

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