A stellar aura discovered in a dwarf galaxy

Astronomers using the Gaia space observatory have studied the dwarf galaxy Fornax. They discovered that the galaxy has an extended stellar halo stretching more than 17 000 light-years away.

A team of astronomers led by Yangbin Yang from the Paris Observatory in France recently studied the stellar structure of Fornax over an area of 400 square degrees. The main aim of their study was to investigate the extent of the stellar population of the red giant branch of this galaxy.

The study revealed a discontinuity in the density profile of Fornax, revealing a significant component in this galaxy that resembles a stellar halo because of its almost symmetric morphology. It extends 17,600 light-years and has a mass of about 10 percent of the galaxy's mass.

Astronomers speculate that the extended stellar halo detected may be related to the recent expansion of stars in Fornax. However, detailed numerical simulations will be needed to confirm this hypothesis.