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A group led by researchers at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) used the Subaru Telescope to take images of nine galaxies with masses similar to the Milky Way, each about 50 to 80 million light-years away. In these images, the group successfully detected 93 candidates for faint, small satellite galaxies. The number of satellites per main galaxy varied greatly but was comparable to the number of satellite galaxies around the Milky Way, indicating that the Milky Way is normal in terms of its number of satellites. Also, the satellite galaxies were evenly distributed around the main galaxies; matching predictions but not matching what we know about the Milky Way.
This result is important for understanding to what extent we can apply what we know about the local environment to the rest of the Universe. One of nine observed galaxies is NGC 3338, which is pictured here. This spiral galaxy is about 76 million light-years away with a mass similar to the Milky Way.
Image Credit: NAOJ
Image enhancement: Jean-Baptiste Faure
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