Sagittarius dwarf spheroidal galaxy


Sagittarius dwarf spheroidal galaxy

The nearest galaxy to our own, the Sagittarius dwarf spheroidal galaxy was discovered in 1994, at a distance of only 24 kpc. Its detection is comparatively recent because it is faint, and its proximity means that its constituent stars are spread over a large part of the sky, heavily obscured by the many foreground stars of our own Milky Way. The galaxy is thought to be slowly being torn apart by the gravitational force of our own Galaxy.