Abstract
WE have detected a large, extended group of comoving stars in the direction of the Galactic Centre, which we interpret as belonging to a dwarf galaxy that is closer to our own Galaxy than any other yet known. Located in the constellation of Sagittarius, and on the far side of the Galactic Centre, it has not previously been seen because of the large number of foreground stars (in the Milky Way) in that direction. Following convention, we propose to call it the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy. Its properties are similar to those of the eight other dwarf spheroidal companions to the Milky Way, and it is comparable in size and luminosity to the largest of them— the Fornax system. The Sagittarius dwarf is elongated towards the plane of the Milky Way, suggesting that it is undergoing some tidal disruption before being absorbed by the Milky Way.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Burstein, D. & Heiles, C. Astr. J. 87, 1165–1189 (1982).
Tonry, J. & Davies, M. Astr. J. 84, 1511–1525 (1979).
Lewis, J. & Freeman, K. Astr. J. 97, 139–162 (1989).
Kibblewhite, E., Bridgeland, M., Bunclark, P. & Irwin, M. in Proc. Astronomical Microdensitometry Conf. 277–288 (NASA-CP-2317, 1984).
Gardiner, L. & Hatzidimitriou, D. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. 257, 195–224 (1992).
Feast, M. in The Magellanic Clouds (eds Haynes, R. & Milne, D.) 1–5 (Int. Astr. Un. Symp. No. 148, Kluwer Academic, Dordrecht, 1991).
Sagar, R., Hawkins, M. & Cannon, R. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. 242, 167–176 (1990).
Caldwell, N., Armandroff, T., Seitzer, P. & Da Costa, G. Astr. J. 103, 840–850 (1992).
Irwin, M. & Hatzidimitriou, D. in ASP Conf. Ser. Vol. 48 (eds Smith, G. & Brodie, J.) 322–325 (Astr. Soc. Pacific, San Francisco, 1993).
Demers, S., Irwin, M. & Kunkel, W. Astr. J. (in the press).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ibata, R., Gilmore, G. & Irwin, M. A dwarf satellite galaxy in Sagittarius. Nature 370, 194–196 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1038/370194a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/370194a0
This article is cited by
-
Dark matter substructures affect dark matter-electron scattering in xenon-based direct detection experiments
Journal of High Energy Physics (2023)
-
A stellar clock reveals the assembly history of the Milky Way
Nature (2022)
-
Gamma-ray emission from the Sagittarius dwarf spheroidal galaxy due to millisecond pulsars
Nature Astronomy (2022)
-
Low-α metal-rich stars with sausage kinematics in the LAMOST survey: Are they from the Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus galaxy?
Science China Physics, Mechanics & Astronomy (2021)
-
The recurrent impact of the Sagittarius dwarf on the star formation history of the Milky Way
Nature Astronomy (2020)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.