This is a list of stellar streams. A stellar stream is an association of stars orbiting a galaxy. It was once a globular cluster or dwarf galaxy that has now been torn apart and stretched out along its orbit by tidal forces.[1] An exception in the list about Milky Way streams given below is the Magellanic Stream, composed of gas (mostly hydrogen), although in 2023 a population of stars has been described inside it.[2]

Local Group streams

Milky Way streams

Known streams in the Milky Way[3]
NameOriginMass
(solar masses)		Length
(light-years)		CompositionDiscovery year
Arcturus streamDefunct dwarf galaxyUnknownUnknownOld stars deficient in heavy elements1971[3]
Magellanic StreamLarge and Small Magellanic Clouds200 million1 millionHydrogen gas1972
Sagittarius StreamSagittarius Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy100 million1 millionWide variety of stars1994
Helmi streamDefunct dwarf galaxy10—100 millionSeveral complete loops around the Milky WayOld stars deficient in heavy elements1999
Palomar 5 stream (Serpens Stream)Globular cluster Palomar 55,00030,000Old stars2001
Virgo StreamDefunct dwarf galaxy30,0002001
Monoceros RingCanis Major Overdensity100 million200,000Intermediate age stars2002
Anticenter streamDefunct dwarf galaxyUnknown30,000Old stars2006
GD-1Globular clusterMetal-poor stars2006[4]
NGC 5466 stream
45 Degree tidal stream		Globular cluster NGC 546610,00060,000Very old stars2006[5][6]
Orphan streamUnknown source (hence its name)Unknown[7]20,000Old stars2006
Acheron streamGlobular cluster2007[5][8]
Boötes III streamEmbedded in, and possible progenitor of the Styx stream2007[5][8]
Cocytus streamGlobular cluster2007[5][8]
Lethe streamGlobular cluster10,00018,000Old, metal-poor stars2007[8]
Styx streamDefunct dwarf galaxy (possibly Boötes III)2007[5][8]
Cetus Polar StreamDefunct dwarf galaxyUnknownUnknownOld stars2009[9]
Aquarius StreamDefunct dwarf galaxyUnknown30,000Old stars2010
Lamost 1Disrupted globular cluster21,000Intermediate-age stars2015[10]
Phoenix StreamDisrupted globular clusterUnknown8,000Very old stars[11][12]2016[13]
S1 Streamdisrupted dwarf galaxy942017[14][15]
Fimbulthul streamGlobular cluster Omega Centauri3182019[16]
Pisces-Eridanus streamdisrupted cluster or association2,0001,300very young (~120 Myr) nearby (260 - 870 light-years) stream[17]2019 [18]
Nyx streamremnant of a disrupted dwarf galaxy — long-ago galaxy mergerabout 200 stars2020[19][20]
Specter streamdisrupted ultra-faint dwarf galaxy2,00018,0002022[21]

Andromeda Galaxy streams

Known streams in the Andromeda Galaxy
NameOriginMass
(solar masses)		Length
(light-years)		CompositionDiscovery year
M31 Giant stellar stream[citation needed]
Andromeda NE stellar stream[22]2004
Tidal Stream Northwest (Tidal Stream E and F)[23]disrupted dwarf galaxies2009
Tidal Stream Southwest[23]2009
East Cloud[citation needed]
North Spur[citation needed]
Stream A[citation needed]
Stream B[citation needed]
Stream C[citation needed]
Stream D[citation needed]

Streams beyond the Local Group

Due to new deeper sky surveys, such as the DESI Legacy Imaging Survey, a large number of streams are to be expected to be discovered in the future. An initial search in 2023 by Martínez-Delgado et al. searched 389 galaxies and found 89 candidates with stellar streams (22,9%). They plan to search about 3100 galaxies, which might yield hundreds of candidates. In the pasts less sensitive surveys such as SDSS were only able to detect the brightest stellar streams.[24]

Other known streams outside the Local Group
NameLocationOriginMass
(solar masses)		Length
(light-years)		CompositionCharacteristicsDiscovery year
Young Blue Tidal Stream[25]NGC 5128A gas fragment or
a dwarf galaxy		2002
stream 947-4966NGC 4013[26]former dwarf satellite
with low inclination orbit		large looping structure2008
9477-J0949.4-STO 749988 (SMS J 4977449 tI947)NGC 5907[27]low-mass satellite accretionmultiple surrounding loops2009
NGC 4651[28]satellite accretionnarrow jet-like structure and surrounding debris shell2010
NGC 3521[28]satellite accretionjet-like structure and surrounding debris shell2010
NGC 7531[28]satellite accretionsurrounding debris shell2010
NGC 1084[28]satellite accretionthree giant disconnected plumes of similar width2010
NGC 4216[28]satellite accretionongoing tidal disruption of satellite galaxies
seen as long tails extending from the progenitor satellite		2010
NGC 1055[28]satellite accretionclear box shaped inner halo sprinkled with a plethora of coherent spikes2010
NGC 5291[29]galaxy interactiontwo separate tidal tails to the north and south?
petal of the sunflowerMessier 63 (NGC 5055)[30]dwarf satellite accretion4 × 1081979/2011
NGC 5387[31]satellite accretion6 × 10811.7 kpcyoung starsenhanced star formation, metal-poor2014
feather on the hatMessier 104 (NGC 4594)[32]major mergerextremely metal rich2021
NGC 4303[33]leftovers of a dwarf galaxy that was torn apart by M61's gravity2 × 10850 kpcfirst stellar stream discovered with the Vera C. Rubin Observatory2025

See also

References

  1. ^ Schilling, Govert (January 12, 2022). "Stellar streams are revealing their secrets". Sky & Telescope. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  2. ^ Chandra, Vedant &+ (27 June 2023). "Discovery of the Magellanic Stellar Stream Out to 100 KPC". The Astrophysical Journal. 956 (2): 110. arXiv:2306.15719. Bibcode:2023ApJ...956..110C. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/acf7bf
  3. ^ Ibata, Rodrigo & Gibson, Brad (April 2007). "The Ghosts of Galaxies Past". Scientific American. 296 (4): 40–45. Bibcode:2007SciAm.296d..40I. doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0407-40. PMID 17479629
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  5. ^ "Rings around the galaxy". Astronomy. 1 June 2007. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
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  7. ^ Newberg, Heidi Jo; Willett, Benjamin A.; Yanny, Brian; & Xu, Yan (5 February 2010). "The Orbit of the Orphan Stream". The Astrophysical Journal. 711 (1): 32–49. arXiv:1001.0576. Bibcode:2010ApJ...711...32N. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/711/1/32. S2CID 91177423
  8. ^ Grillmair, C.J. (5 March 2009). "Four new stellar debris streams in the galactic halo". The Astrophysical Journal. 693 (2): 1118–1127. arXiv:0811.3965. Bibcode:2009ApJ...693.1118G. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/693/2/1118. S2CID 17328907
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  33. ^ {https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.24836}

Further reading