"Dark Matter Dominated Micro-Galaxy Unlocks Milky Way Mystery"
Scientists have discovered a micro galaxy, Ursa Major III / UNIONS 1 (UMa3/U1), orbiting the Milky Way, challenging previous knowledge about celestial structures. This cluster of stars, located 30,000 light-years away, is the faintest and lowest-mass satellite ever detected within our galaxy and may be predominantly governed by dark matter. The micro galaxy, made up of approximately 60 ancient stars, defies conventional categorization and its existence may challenge our understanding of galaxy formation and the definition of a galaxy. The discovery was made possible by the Keck Observatory's Deep Imaging Multi-Object Spectrograph, and it may shed light on the influence of dark matter on visible matter in the universe.