Dwarf Galaxy

Dwarf galaxies are the cosmic equivalent of small towns in the vast universe—compact stellar collections containing between 10 million and a few billion stars, making them significantly smaller than major galaxies like our Milky Way, which hosts over 100 billion stars. Despite their modest size, dwarf galaxies are the universe's most abundant galaxy type, outnumbering giant galaxies by at least 10 to 1.</p><p>These galactic "underdogs" come in two main varieties: dwarf ellipticals, which are smooth and roundish, and dwarf irregulars, which lack defined structure and often actively form new stars. The Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, visible to the naked eye from the Southern Hemisphere, are prime examples of dwarf irregular galaxies orbiting our Milky Way at distances of 160,000 and 200,000 light-years respectively.</p><p>Discovered in the early 20th century, dwarf galaxies have revolutionized our understanding of cosmic evolution and dark matter. The Draco Dwarf, containing only 300,000 stars, was among the first to reveal that galaxies could be almost entirely composed of invisible dark matter—up to 99% in some cases. These "fossil" galaxies preserve pristine records of the early universe's conditions, making them natural laboratories for studying how the first stars and galaxies formed over 13 billion years ago.