Physical Size
A scroll-driven journey through the scale of the universe, from subatomic structures to the largest known cosmic systems.
Sculptor Dwarf Galaxy
Small Magellanic Cloud
Dwarf spheroidal galaxy
Sculptor Dwarf Galaxy
A small satellite galaxy, faint in light but rich in dark matter.
The Sculptor Dwarf Galaxy is a faint dwarf spheroidal satellite of the Milky Way and one of our nearest galactic neighbors. Although it lies only about 290,000 light-years away, its stars are spread so thinly that it appears as a diffuse cloud rather than a bright compact galaxy, making it a valuable nearby fossil of the early universe.
- visible extent
- 3,300 ly
- Composition
- Old stars, dark matter, very little gas
- Orbits
- Milky Way
- Imaged by
- La Silla Observatory · 2015
Image: ESO · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons