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.

Examples of satellite galaxy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web 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 This is the brightest and biggest star-making region in a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way called the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 11 Oct. 2023 The Milky Way, our home galaxy, was rolling straight overhead, and the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, satellite galaxies of our own, floated alongside like ghosts. Dennis Overbye Marcos Zegers, New York Times, 18 Apr. 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.

Word History

First Known Use

1904, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of satellite galaxy was in 1904

Dictionary Entries Near satellite galaxy

Cite this Entry

“Satellite galaxy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/satellite%20galaxy. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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