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Hubble Reveals a Previously Unknown Dwarf Galaxy Just 7 Million Light Years Away

Posted by timothy on from the hey-neighbor dept.

The L.A. Times reports that the Hubble Space Telescope's ongoing survey work has discovered a dwarf universe a mere 7 million light years away: While only just recently discovered using Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys, the galaxy known as KKs3 has been around for a long while. Astronomers led by Igor Karachentsev of the Special Astrophysical Observatory in Karachai-Cherkessia, Russia, showed that some 74% of KKs3’s star mass was formed in the universe’s early years, at least 12 billion years ago. Most of the tiny galaxy’s stars are old and dim, making it a fascinating fossil that could help astronomers understand what ancient galactic environments looked like.

1 of 70 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Don't Order From Slashdot Deals by thegarbz · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    I wonder if it's the same editors who don't know the difference between a galaxy and a universe who are handling your shipping order.

    Thanks for the heads up.