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Preferred term

dwarf galaxy  

Definition

  • A dwarf galaxy is a small, faint galaxy, of which there are two main types. Dwarf irregular galaxies tend to contain a lot of gas and usually show strong signs of ongoing star formation, whereas dwarf elliptical galaxies (of which dwarf spheroidal galaxies are a subcategory) tend to be gas-poor, lower in mass and luminosity, and quiescent. Dwarf galaxies are the commonest variety in the Local Group and, almost certainly, in the Universe as a whole. In fact, evidence of very extensive halos of thousands of small dwarf systems around large galaxies has been uncovered in a study of gravitational lensing. (Encyclopedia of Science, by David Darling, https://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/D/dwarfgal.html)

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http://data.loterre.fr/ark:/67375/MDL-TT180QNT-D

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