The
Sagittarius Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy (
Sgr dSph), also known as the
Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy (
Sgr dE or
Sag DEG), is an
elliptical loop-shaped
satellite galaxy of the
Milky Way. It consists of four
globular clusters, the main cluster having been discovered in 1994. Sgr dSph is roughly 10,000
light-years in diameter, and is currently about 70,000 light-years from
Earth, travelling in a polar orbit (i.e. an orbit passing through the
galactic poles) at a distance of about 50,000 light-years from the core of the Milky Way (about 1/3 the distance of the
Large Magellanic Cloud). In its looping, spiraling path, it has passed through the plane of the Milky Way several times in the past.