satellite galaxy
noun
plural satellite galaxies
: a galaxy that is bound by the gravitational field of a larger galaxy and that is often too small to have a defined shape
Located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of our own Milky Way visible in the Southern Hemisphere, this exploding star was a mere 170,00 light years away.—
Lavinia Edmunds et al.
Lavinia Edmunds et al.Examples of satellite galaxy in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Besides examining the overall structure and stellar population of the galaxy, Euclid can look around the object to search for much fainter satellite galaxies, dwarf companions common around big galaxies (our Milky Way has dozens of them, for example).
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 14 June 2024
The Atacama Desert's near-perfect visibility provides crystal-clear views of the most famous constellations of the Southern Hemisphere sky — including the Tarantula Nebula, the Fornax Cluster of galaxies, the Southern Cross, and even the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way.
—Skye Sherman, Travel + Leisure, 13 June 2024
Alternately, stars that form in a satellite galaxy can be dragged into the main galaxy.
—Georgina Torbet, Ars Technica, 10 June 2024
The region is located in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), which is a satellite galaxy of our own Milky Way.
—Bradford Betz, Fox News, 25 Jan. 2024
It is located in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a satellite galaxy of our own Milky Way galaxy that is almost 200,000 light-years away from Earth.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 25 Jan. 2024
The bright fuzzy spot is the nucleus of the main Andromeda Galaxy, and the small fuzzy spot is a nearby satellite galaxy of Andromeda.
—Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 21 Jan. 2024
Enlarge / An infrared image of one of the Milky Way's satellite galaxies.
—Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 7 Dec. 2023
The Large Magellanic Cloud, which sits around 160,000 light-years from the galactic center, is a satellite galaxy that orbits our own at more than 650,000 mph (one million kilometers per hour)—a value consistent with standard dark matter models.
—Adam Mann, Scientific American, 11 Oct. 2023
Phil Plait, Scientific American, 14 June 2024
The Atacama Desert's near-perfect visibility provides crystal-clear views of the most famous constellations of the Southern Hemisphere sky — including the Tarantula Nebula, the Fornax Cluster of galaxies, the Southern Cross, and even the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way.
—Skye Sherman, Travel + Leisure, 13 June 2024
Alternately, stars that form in a satellite galaxy can be dragged into the main galaxy.
—Georgina Torbet, Ars Technica, 10 June 2024
The region is located in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), which is a satellite galaxy of our own Milky Way.
—Bradford Betz, Fox News, 25 Jan. 2024
It is located in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a satellite galaxy of our own Milky Way galaxy that is almost 200,000 light-years away from Earth.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 25 Jan. 2024
The bright fuzzy spot is the nucleus of the main Andromeda Galaxy, and the small fuzzy spot is a nearby satellite galaxy of Andromeda.
—Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 21 Jan. 2024
Enlarge / An infrared image of one of the Milky Way's satellite galaxies.
—Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 7 Dec. 2023
The Large Magellanic Cloud, which sits around 160,000 light-years from the galactic center, is a satellite galaxy that orbits our own at more than 650,000 mph (one million kilometers per hour)—a value consistent with standard dark matter models.
—Adam Mann, Scientific American, 11 Oct. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'satellite galaxy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Satellite galaxy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/satellite%20galaxy. Accessed 2 Jul. 2024.
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