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
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In the standard model of cosmology, such satellite galaxies are the leftover building blocks that were drawn together by a massive halo of dark matter and assembled the large galaxies long ago.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 22 Aug. 2025
There could be many more satellite galaxies orbiting the Milky Way than previously thought or observed, according to astronomers.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 15 July 2025
One confounding factor comes from two other LG galaxies: M33, a satellite galaxy, and the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC).
—Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 3 June 2025
But the team found that the satellite galaxy has a gravitational pull, perpendicular to Andromeda, that changes the Milky Way’s motion enough to reduce the chance of a merger between the two giant galaxies.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 2 June 2025
If this is true, then our satellite galaxy is shooting stars at us!
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 22 May 2025
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Keith Cooper, Space.com, 22 Aug. 2025
There could be many more satellite galaxies orbiting the Milky Way than previously thought or observed, according to astronomers.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 15 July 2025
One confounding factor comes from two other LG galaxies: M33, a satellite galaxy, and the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC).
—Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 3 June 2025
But the team found that the satellite galaxy has a gravitational pull, perpendicular to Andromeda, that changes the Milky Way’s motion enough to reduce the chance of a merger between the two giant galaxies.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 2 June 2025
If this is true, then our satellite galaxy is shooting stars at us!
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 22 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Satellite galaxy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/satellite%20galaxy. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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