Leo P
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Leo P is a small, star-forming irregular galaxy located in the constellation Leo, discovered through the blind HI Arecibo Legacy Fast ALFA (ALFALFA) survey, as an ultra-compact high-velocity cloud (UCHVC) of hydrogen gas. Its confirmation as a dwarf galaxy in 2013 suggests that other such UCHVCs are possibly undiscovered dwarf galaxies themselves. Leo P is noteworthy for harbouring one of the most metal-poor environments in the local universe. Its metallicity is just 3% that of the Sun's, meaning that its stars contain 30 times less heavy elements than the Sun. This makes Leo P similar to the pristine environments of primordial galaxies.
Leo P is located on the very outskirts of the Local Group, nearly 5.3 million light years away, and may not be part of it, instead being part of the Antlia-Sextans Group, a small grouping of galaxies adjacent to the Local Group, sometimes considered bound to it.
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LIFE RAISE - 2024-12-17 00:00:00
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