NASA scientists study spheroidal Andromeda galaxy

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has captured an image of the dwarf spheroidal galaxy Pegasus, also known as Andromeda VI. In this photo, a bright collection of stars shines against the background of more distant galaxies, Azernews reports.

The Andromeda galaxy is the largest spiral galaxy closest to the Milky Way and at least 13 dwarf galaxies revolve around it. The dwarf spheroidal galaxy Pegasus is one of these mini-galaxies. Dwarf spheroidal galaxies are considered the faintest and least massive celestial bodies known to astronomy. Their elliptical shapes seem brighter against the background of a relatively smooth distribution of stars. Dwarf spheroidal galaxies are usually poor in gas, with a predominance of old and medium-sized stars, new ones are rarely formed.

The dwarf spheroidal galaxy Pegasus was discovered in 1998 and is characterized by the presence of a small number of heavy elements compared to its analogues and a small amount of gas necessary for the formation of a new generation of stars. The researchers report that Andromeda's gravitational field contains a small amount of star-forming gas. For comparison, they show some dwarf spheroidal galaxies of the Milky Way. But Andromeda is wider and its gravitational influence is stronger than others.
Astronomers believe that dwarf spheroidal galaxies are formed as a result of collisions between their giant counterparts, the gravitational influence of larger galaxies on smaller disc-shaped dwarf galaxies, and processes associated with the formation of small systems between clusters of dark matter. Andromeda and the Milky Way are the only galaxies closely observed by scientists that are located close enough to be easier to study.

The Hubble Space Telescope is observing this galaxy as part of a study of the entire Andromeda satellite system in order to investigate important issues such as dark matter, ionization and the growth of galactic ecosystems on a cosmic time scale.