Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Photo #Andromeda s being circled by about 30 smaller galaxies in thin plane like a pancake


 <-- Disc of Dwarf Galaxies Dancing Around Andromeda   

4:59 PM - 8 Jan 13 · Details

Disc of Dwarf Galaxies Dancing Around Andromeda

By Belinda McCallum
Epoch Times StaffCreated: January 8, 2013Last Updated: January 7, 2013

The top left hand image is a true color photo of Andromeda, with two of its satellites or smaller galaxies visible. The top right hand panel depicts how the 27 dwarf galaxies around Andromeda appear to us as viewed from Earth, while the bottom left panel shows the positions of the satellites as they would be seen from the side. This immense grouping of dwarf galaxies is more than a million light years across and rotates in the sense shown by the arrows. (University of Sydney)
The top left hand image is a true color photo of Andromeda, with two of its satellites or smaller galaxies visible. The top right hand panel depicts how the 27 dwarf galaxies around Andromeda appear to us as viewed from Earth, while the bottom left panel shows the positions of the satellites as they would be seen from the side. This immense grouping of dwarf galaxies is more than a million light years across and rotates in the sense shown by the arrows. (University of Sydney)

Our neighboring galaxy Andromeda is being circled by about 30 smaller galaxies, half of which are in a vast thin plane like a pancake.
Larger galaxies like our own are orbited by many dwarf galaxies, but their paths were thought to be independent of each other. This new finding is leading astronomers to question their understanding of galaxy formation and evolution.
Posted by Robby Ball at 3:00 PM