A small satellite galaxy of the Milky Way that is currently being torn apart and absorbed by our galaxy due to strong gravitational forces. Located on the far side of the Milky Way from Earth, it follows a looping orbit that takes it through the Milky Way’s outer regions.
- It is officially known as the Sagittarius Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy (Sgr dSph).
- As it orbits, the Milky Way’s gravity strips away its stars, forming the Sagittarius Tidal Stream, which wraps around the galaxy.
- This process provides direct evidence of galactic cannibalism, where large galaxies grow by consuming smaller ones.
- The Sagittarius Dwarf Galaxy still has a dense central core, but it has lost much of its mass to the Milky Way.
This ongoing merger helps astronomers study galaxy evolution and the distribution of dark matter in the Milky Way.