Virgo I | |
---|---|
Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
Constellation | Virgo |
Right ascension | 12h 00m 09.6s[1] |
Declination | −00° 40′ 48″[1] |
Distance | 280+42 −26 kly (87 +13 −8 kpc)[1] |
Absolute magnitude (V) | −0.8 ± 0.9[1] |
Characteristics | |
Type | dSph[1] |
Half-light radius (physical) | 38+12 −11 pc[1] |
Half-light radius (apparent) | 1.5′[1] |
Other designations | |
Virgo I |
Virgo I is an extremely faint satellite galaxy of the Milky Way.[2] It was discovered in the Subaru Strategic Survey. Virgo I has an absolute visual magnitude of −0.8 making it one of the least luminous galaxies confirmed thus far. The galaxy has a radius of 124 light years, (half light radius 38 pc) meaning that it is too big to be a globular cluster.[2] Cetus II is dimmer, but too small to be classed as a galaxy.[2] Virgo I is dimmer than Segue I, the previous dimmest known. The distance to Virgo I is 87 kiloparsecs (280,000 ly).[1]