Simulations considering the distribution of matter in the Universe suggest that low-mass dwarf galaxies should far out number those of the spiral form and the latter. However, these suggestions have traditionally not aligned with observation leading some to believe that the simulations are wrong. This is known as the 'missing satellites problem'.For instance, one simulation predicted upwards of 500 dwarf galaxies orbiting our Milky Way alone; Although observations have only been able to recover 11 thus far. A possible solution to this problem is, of course, that the dwarf galaxies are simply too faint to see. This solution is supported in a recent discovery made by an astronomy team led by Roberto Munoz and Thomas Puzia of Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile. The team used a Dark Energy Camera (DECam) on the 4-meter Blanco telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO). The analysis revealed a great number of faint, low surface brightness brown dwarf galaxies in the Fornax Cluster. This discovery may vindicate the computer simulations as well as basic ideas surrounding the nature of dark matter. Future studies may uncover a similar distribution of dwarf galaxies orbiting our own Milky Way.
Sources:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/milky-way-satellite-dwarf-galaxies/
http://www.astronomy.com/news/2015/11/oodles-of-faint-dwarf-galaxies-in-fornax-shed-light-on-a-cosmological-mystery
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwarf_galaxy_problem
