Related papers: Comments on a faint old stellar system at 150 kpc

We identify two new tidally distorted white dwarfs (WDs), SDSS J174140.49+652638.7 and J211921.96-001825.8 (hereafter J1741 and J2119). Both stars are extremely low mass (ELM, < 0.2 Msun) WDs in short-period, detached binary systems.…

The dwarf spheroidal satellite galaxies (dSphs) of the Milky Way are some of the most dark matter (DM) dominated objects known. We report on gamma-ray observations of Milky Way dSphs based on 6 years of Fermi Large Area Telescope data…

We consider dark masses measured from kinematic tracers at discrete radii in galaxies for which baryonic contributions to overall potentials are either subtracted or negligible. Recent work indicates that rotation curves due to dark matter…

In this study, we aim to reveal the nature of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) star: SDSS J100921.40+375233.9, suspected to have an extremely low metallicity. We observed this star at high spectral resolution and performed an abundance…

The Milky Way is surrounded by nine or more dwarf-spheroidal (dSph) satellite galaxies that appear to consist primarily of dark matter. Here I summarise research that shows that initially spherical bound low-mass satellites without dark…

We present the first spectroscopic analysis of the faint and compact stellar system Draco II (Dra II, M_V=-2.9+/-0.8, r_h=19^{+8}_{-6} pc), recently discovered in the Pan-STARRS1 3{\pi} survey. The observations, conducted with DEIMOS on the…

We report the discovery of a high velocity, very low-mass star or brown dwarf whose kinematics suggest it is unbound to the Milky Way. CWISE J124909.08+362116.0 was identified by citizen scientists in the Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 program…

SDSS J010448.46+153501.8 has previously been classified as an sdM9.5 subdwarf. However, its very blue $J-K$ colour ($-0.15 \pm 0.17$) suggests a much lower metallicity compared to normal sdM9.5 subdwarfs. Here, we re-classify this object as…

Very recent work has identified a new satellite galaxy, Ursa Major III/UNIONS I, which is the faintest such system ever observed. Dynamical considerations indicate that if the system is in equilibrium, it is likely to be highly dark matter…

We report the discovery of clear observational signs of past accretion/merger events in one of the Milky Way satellite galaxies, the Sextans dwarf spheroidal (dSph). These were uncovered in the spatial distribution, internal kinematics and…

We report the discovery of a bright (V ~ 13.7), extremely low-mass white dwarf in a close double degenerate system. We originally selected GALEX J171708.5+675712 for spectroscopic follow-up among a group of white dwarf candidates in an…

Photometry of a large field around the young globular cluster Palomar 12 has revealed the main-sequence of a low surface-brightness stellar system. This main-sequence is indicative of a stellar population that varies significantly in…

The mass-function of dwarf satellite galaxies that are observed around Local Group galaxies substantially differs from simulations based on cold dark matter: the simulations predict many more dwarf galaxies than are seen. The Local Group,…

We construct axisymmetric mass models for dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxies in the Milky Way to obtain plausible limits on the non-spherical structure of their dark halos. This is motivated by the fact that the observed luminous parts of the…

We present initial results from a wide field photometric survey of the Fornax dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxy. The focus here is on a small overdensity of stars located approximately 17 arcmin (670 pc in projection) from the centre of…

In this Letter, we announce the discovery of a new satellite of the Milky Way in the constellation of Bootes at a distance of 60 kpc. It was found in a systematic search for stellar overdensities in the North Galactic Cap using Sloan…

Dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSph) orbiting the Milky Way are complex objects often with complicated star formation histories and internal dynamics. In this work, we search for stellar substructures in four of the classical dSph satellites of…

We present tentative evidence for the existence of a dissolved star cluster in the Sextans dwarf spheroidal galaxy. In a sample of six stars, we identify three (possibly four) stars around [Fe/H] =-2.7 that are highly clustered in a…

The recycled pulsar PSR J2222-0137 is one of the closest known neutron stars, with a parallax distance of $267_{-0.9}^{+1.2}\,$pc and an edge-on orbit. We measure the Shapiro delay in the system through pulsar timing with the Green Bank…

Recent observations from the ESA Gaia satellite and with the ESO VLT, have identified the presence of a population of young, 0.5 to 2 Gyr old, stars in the halo and in dwarf spheroidal galaxies surrounding the Milky Way. It suggests that MW…