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This pair of dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxies - slightly different than dwarf elliptical (dEs) - are satellites of M31, the Andromeda galaxy, with NGC 185 (left) at 2.08 million light years distant and NGC 147 (right) at a distance of 2.58 million light years. These two Andromeda satellites are now actually somewhat closer to the Milky Way than they are to Andromeda.

According to Van den Bergh, they are probably gravitationally bound in a physical pair, with NGC 185 being the more interesting and diverse, having an active galactic nucleus and being classified as a Type 2 Seyfert Galaxy. NGC 147, however, is gas and dust free.

November 1, 2010