We do n’t know whether they ’re happy , dopey , or sneezy , but we do know that these new seven dwarf galaxy are blate – they ’ve all been hide in plain stack . Only after astronomer change by reversal a new character of “ homemade ” scope toward a nearby galax did the seven midget pop into view .
A terzetto of investigator discover the celestial surprises while probing a nearby spiral Galax urceolata , called M101 , in a small-scale department of sky using a telescope stitched together with telephoto lens of the eye . “ These are the same form of lenses that are used in sporting events like the World Cup,”Yale ’s Pieter van Dokkumexplains in anews release . “ We decided to point them upwards rather . ”
He andRoberto Abraham from the University of Torontobuilt the compact , oven - sized telescope in 2012 atNew Mexico Skiesobservatory . They named it the Dragonfly Telephoto Array ( see ) after the louse ’s compound center .
The septuplet of newfangled wandflower had been antecedently overlooked because of their diffuse nature . But the Dragonfly ’s eight telephoto lens have a special coat that suppresses internally scattered light – making the array uniquely adept at notice very diffuse , low surface brightness .
“ We knew there was a whole set of skill questions that could be do if we could see diffuse objects in the sky,”van Dokkum say . “ It ’s a new domain . We ’re explore a region of parameter place that had not been explore before . ”
Now the team is trying to figure out if the seven dwarf orbit around M101 or if they ’re located much far or closer aside and just happen to be visible in the same direction as M101 . “ There are predictions from galaxy shaping possibility about the need for a universe of very diffuse , isolated galaxies in the universe,”Allison Merritt of Yaleexplains . “ It may be that these seven galaxies are the tip of the berg , and there are thousands of them in the sky that we have n’t discover yet . ”
Theworkwas published in theAstrophysical Journal Lettersthis week .
Images : Yale University
