Ursa Minor Dwarf

RA:

15 : 08.8

Dec:

+67 : 12

Type:

dSph/E4

RV:

Distance:

240 kly

Apparent Dimension:

41.0 x 26.0 arc min

Diameter:

Brightness:

10.9 m_v

Abs. Mag:

Mass:

The Ursa Minor Dwarf was discovered by A.G. Wilson of Lowell Observatory, who had already discovered dwarf galaxy Leo I some years earlier, on photographic plates from the National Geographic Society - Palomar Observatory Sky Survey (POSS) in the early 1954, together with the Draco Dwarf (Wilson 1955).

Ursa Minor Dwarf is one of the small satellite galaxies of our Milky Way Galaxy, at a distance of about 240,000 light years. It is a dwarf elliptical or dwarf spheroidal galaxy, consisting of an old stellar population only and no significant amount of interstellar matter.

The image in this page was obtained by Mischa Schirmer, obtained July 6-9, 2005 from Roque de los Muchachos, La Palma, with FFC on MM mount and ST-10XME CCD camera, exposed 11:50 (LRGB: L = 60*300s, RGB = (12x11x18)*600s). Also see hires version and higher contrast b/w version - the latter also available in hires.

References:

• A.G. Wilson, 1955. Sculptor-Type Systems in the Local Group of Galaxies. Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, Vol. 67, No. 394, pp. 27-29 (02/1955) [ADS: 1955PASP...67...27W]

Last Modification: May 29, 2002