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Our Milky Way galaxy is on the heavy side. We have hundreds of billions of stars, and an even more massive amount of dark matter.
我们的银河系体积有点偏胖。银河系拥有千亿颗恒星，以及数量更加庞大的暗物质。
With just 1,000 stars, the dwarf galaxy Segue 2 becomes the smallest one known. Researchers published measurements of the galaxy's size in the Astrophysical Journal.
矮星系 Segue 2 只拥有1000颗恒星，成为已知的最小的星系。研究人员在《天体物理学杂志》上发表了星系尺寸的测量方法。
Segue 2 is one of dozens of “companion” galaxies that orbit the Milky Way. Scientists who model how galaxies form expect there to be thousands of small galaxies orbiting nearby, even if most are too faint to see with existing technology. The discovery of Segue 2 offers astronomers a hint that the neighborhood around the Milky Way really is clumpy with tiny companions.
Segue 2 是围绕着银河系运转的数十个卫星星系的其中之一。科学家模拟了银河系的形成，他们认为银河系附近有数千个小星系，即使以目前的科技水平几乎看不见其中大部分星系。Segue 2 的发现给了天文学家一个暗示——银河系周围确实环绕着许多小星系。
Researchers think that when Segue 2 first formed over 100 million years ago, it was much larger and brighter. But repeated orbits around the Milky Way stripped away most of its membership. The last thousand stars and a smattering of dark matter thus claim the title of smallest galaxy known. For now.
研究人员认为当 Segue 2 于一亿年前首次形成时，它的体积更大，也更明亮。但是重复绕银河系轨道运动让它失去了大部分的恒星成员。就目前而言，最后的一千颗恒星加上少许的暗物质让它成为名符其实的最小星系。
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