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Antlia Dwarf Galaxy (PGC 29194)

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The Antlia Dwarf (PGC 29194), or Antlia Dwarf Galaxy, is a dwarf spheroidal galaxy located in the Antlia constellation.

The galaxy is approximately 4.3 million light years distant from Earth. It was discovered in 1997 by Mike Irwin, Alan Whiting, and George Hau in a survey of the northern sky.

The galaxy shows signs of recent star formation, with a number of young stars in the central region.

antlia dwarf galaxy

Antlia Dwarf, image NASA/ESA

The Antlia Dwarf is one of the most remote members of the Local Group of galaxies and possibly lies just outside the group. With an apparent visual magnitude of 16.2, it is a very faint galaxy, which is why it wasn’t discovered until the late 20th century.

The Antlia Dwarf is believed to be tidally interacting with the small spiral (possibly irregular) galaxy NGC 3109, located in the constellation Hydra, which also lies on the outskirts of the Local Group. The two galaxies lie 1.2 degrees apart in the sky.