Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy
E21591
The Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy is a nearby, faint irregular dwarf galaxy thought to be the closest known satellite galaxy to the Milky Way and currently being tidally disrupted by it.
Observed surface forms (1)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Canis Major Overdensity | 1 |
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
dwarf galaxy
ⓘ
irregular galaxy ⓘ satellite galaxy of the Milky Way ⓘ stellar overdensity ⓘ |
| abbreviation |
Two Micron All Sky Survey
ⓘ
surface form:
2MASS
|
| alternativeName |
CMa Dwarf
ⓘ
CMa Overdensity ⓘ Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy ⓘ
surface form:
Canis Major Overdensity
|
| apparentBrightness | very faint ⓘ |
| associatedStructure | Monoceros Ring stellar stream ⓘ |
| constellation | Canis Major ⓘ |
| contains |
M-giant stars
ⓘ
red giant stars ⓘ |
| discoveredBy |
Gérard F. Gilmore
ⓘ
Michael J. Irwin ⓘ
surface form:
Mike J. Irwin
Rodrigo A. Ibata ⓘ |
| discoveredUsing | Two Micron All Sky Survey ⓘ |
| discoveryYear | 2003 ⓘ |
| distanceFromGalacticCenter | approximately 42,000 light-years ⓘ |
| distanceFromMilkyWay | approximately 25,000 light-years from the Sun ⓘ |
| dynamicalState | being tidally disrupted ⓘ |
| formsStructure | Monoceros Ring ⓘ |
| galacticHemisphere | southern Galactic hemisphere ⓘ |
| galaxyType | dwarf irregular ⓘ |
| hostGalaxy | Milky Way ⓘ |
| impactOnMilkyWay |
contributes stars to the outer Galactic disk
ⓘ
may influence the structure of the Galactic warp ⓘ |
| locationRelativeToMilkyWay | in the Galactic disk region ⓘ |
| locationRelativeToSun | behind the Galactic plane ⓘ |
| luminosityClass | low-luminosity ⓘ |
| massEstimate | on the order of 10^8 solar masses ⓘ |
| metallicity | metal-poor compared to the Sun ⓘ |
| morphologicalType | irregular ⓘ |
| name | Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy self-link ⓘ |
| observationalChallenge |
confusion with Milky Way disk stars
ⓘ
obscured by dust in the Galactic plane ⓘ |
| observedIn |
infrared wavelengths
ⓘ
optical wavelengths ⓘ |
| orbitalStatus | in a decaying orbit around the Milky Way ⓘ |
| relevance | candidate for the closest known satellite galaxy of the Milky Way ⓘ |
| researchField |
galactic archaeology
ⓘ
near-field cosmology ⓘ |
| satelliteOf | Milky Way ⓘ |
| scientificDebate | nature and distinctness as a separate galaxy are debated ⓘ |
| stellarPopulation | predominantly old stars ⓘ |
| surveyBand | near-infrared ⓘ |
| tidalDebris | stars spread along its orbit ⓘ |
| tidalInteractionWith | Milky Way ⓘ |
Referenced by (3)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
Canis Major Overdensity