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Galaxy Disruption in a Halo of Dark Matter

Duncan Forbes, Michael Beasley, Kenji Bekki, Jean Brodie, Jay Strader

astro-pharXiv:astro-ph/0309020

Abstract

The relics of disrupted satellite galaxies around the Milky Way and Andromeda have been found, but direct evidence of a satellite galaxy in the early stages of being disrupted has remained elusive. We have discovered a dwarf satellite galaxy in the process of being torn apart by gravitational tidal forces as it merges with a larger galaxy's dark matter halo. Our results illustrate the morphological transformation of dwarf galaxies by tidal interaction and the continued build-up of galaxy halos.

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