Hopkins Observatory in Arizona (for the Northern Hemisphere) and the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile (for the southern hemisphere).ДЇrom this data, astronomers were able to conduct a survey of 70% of the sky, detecting about 5,700 celestial sources of infrared radiation. This collaborative astronomical mission, which took place between 19, relied on data obtained by the Mt. At 70,000 light years from Earth, this galaxy was determined in 1994 to be closer to us than the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), the irregular dwarf galaxy that is located 180,000 light years from Earth, and which previously held the title of the closest galaxy to the Milky Way.ДЄll of that changed in 2003 when The Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy was discovered by the Two Micron All-Sky Survey ( 2MASS). Prior to its discovery, astronomers believed that the Sagittarius Dwarf Galaxy was the closest galactic formation to our own. Images of a few examples of merging galaxies taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. It also has associated open clusters, which are thought to have formed as a result of the dwarf galaxyвЂ™s gravity perturbing material in the galactic disk and stimulating star formation. NGC 1851, NGC 1904, NGC 2298 and NGC 2808 вЂ“ are thought to have been part of the Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy before its accretion. Other globular clusters that orbit the center of our Milky Way as a satellite вЂ“ i.e. The current theory is that this galaxy was accreted (or swallowed up) by the Milky Way Galaxy. It was in the course of investigating this ring of stars, and a closely spaced group of globular clusters similar to those associated with the Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy, that the Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy was first discovered. The stream was first discovered in the early 21st century by astronomers conducting the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). This complex, ringlike structure вЂ“ which is sometimes referred to as the Monoceros Ring вЂ“ wraps around the galaxy three times.

In addition to the dwarf galaxy itself, a long filament of stars is visible trailing behind it. It has a roughly elliptical shape and is thought to contain as many stars as the Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy, the previous contender for closest galaxy to our location in the Milky Way. The Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy Dwarf Galaxy is believed to contain one billion stars in all, a relatively high-percentage of which are in the Red Giant Branch phase of their lifetimes. Ibata (Strasbourg Observatory, ULP) et al./2MASS/NASA Characteristics: Illustration of the Canis Dwarf Galaxy and its associated tidal (shown in red) in relation to our Milky Way. This puts it closer to us than the center of our own galaxy, which is 30,000 light years away from the Solar System. This stellar formation is about 42,000 light years from the galactic center, and a mere 25,000 light years from our Solar System.

Closest Galaxy:ДЄt present, the closet known galaxy to the Milky Way is the Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy вЂ“ aka. This distinction falls to a formation that is actually within the Milky Way itself, a dwarf galaxy that weвЂ™ve only known about for a little over a decade.

But in truth, Andromeda is the closest spiral galaxy, and not the closest galaxy by a long shot. Of these, most people consider the Andromeda Galaxy to be our closest galactic cohabitant. So you could say the Milky Way has a lot of neighbors. In addition to our galaxy being part of the Local Group вЂ“ a collection of 54 galaxies and dwarf galaxies вЂ“ we are also part of the larger formation known as the Virgo Supercluster. Scientists have known for some time that the Milky Way Galaxy is not alone in the Universe.

Pictures of our galaxy