Canes Venatici II

Canes Venatici II is a faint dwarf spheroidal galaxy that orbits the Milky Way, discovered in 2006. Located in the Canes Venatici constellation, it resides approximately 160,000 light-years away from Earth. This galaxy is relatively small, spanning roughly 4,600 light-years in diameter, and contains a sparse population of stars. Canes Venatici II is characterized by old and metal-poor stellar populations, suggesting an early formation epoch, possibly over 10 billion years ago. Studies of this satellite galaxy have revealed evidence of dark matter within its structure, like other dwarf galaxies.