Nine dwarf galaxies found orbiting the Milky Way

London: Astronomers have discovered nine dwarf satellites orbiting the Milky Way, the largest number ever discovered at once. The findings may help unravel the mysteries behind dark matter, the invisible substance holding galaxies together. The results also mark the first discovery of dwarf galaxies - small celestial objects that orbit larger galaxies - in a decade. The objects are a billion times dimmer than the Milky Way, and a million times less massive. The satellites were found in the southern hemisphere near the Large and Small Magellanic Cloud - the largest and most well-known dwarf galaxies in the Milky Way's orbit.