Leo P
| Leo P | |
|---|---|
Leo P by Hubble Space Telescope | |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Leo |
| Right ascension | 10h 21m 45.123s |
| Declination | +18° 05′ 16.89″ |
| Distance | 5,284 kly (1,620 kpc) |
| Group or cluster | Antlia Sextans Group |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 16.89 |
| Absolute magnitude (V) | −9.27 |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | Irr |
| Size | 1132 pc (3692.09 ly) |
| Apparent size (V) | 1.2′ |
| Other designations | |
| Leo P, AGC 208583 | |
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.