WORLDTECHRubin Observatory discovers two hidden companions of the Milky Way. Hundreds more may be waiting
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File:A Hidden, Massive Star Cluster Awash with Red Supergiants (ssc2006-03a).jpg / NASA/JPL-Caltech, D. Figer (STScI/RIT) / A Hidden, Massive Star Cluster Awash with Red Supergiants / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain / https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_Hidden,_Massive_Star_Cluster_Awash_with_Red_Supergiants_(ssc2006-03a).jpgSource page.jpg){kind=link}
What happened
Located on Cerro Pachón in the Chilean Andes, the recently completed NSF-DOE Vera C. Astronomers have identified approximately 65 satellite galaxies around the Milky Way, but some estimates suggest that hundreds more remain undiscovered.
Two Hidden Companions of the Milky Way Discovered Using observations collected before the observatory's official launch, researchers identified two exceptionally faint satellites that had never been seen before. Rubin Observatory has already uncovered two previously unknown companions of the Milky Way using preliminary observations covering just 7% of the night sky.
The discoveries include an extremely faint galaxy 355,000 light-years away and a star cluster hidden behind cosmic dust. Scientists suspect hundreds of additional satellite galaxies remain undiscovered, and Rubin's powerful telescope could finally bring them into view.
Science News from research organizations Date: November 7, 2026 Source: Yale University Summary: The Vera C.
Rubin Observatory in Chile has already uncovered two previously unknown companions of the Milky Way, offering an early glimpse of what could become a much larger wave of discoveries. Rubin Observatory is designed to explore the sky in extraordinary detail.
Large galaxies such as the Milky Way are surrounded by smaller companions known as satellites. These include dwarf galaxies and star clusters, many of which contain so few stars that they are extremely difficult to detect.