ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Low-surface-brightness galaxy

Okay kiddo, imagine you're looking up at the night sky and you see a really bright star. It's so bright and shiny that it grabs your attention right away. But now imagine you see something else, a tiny dot that's not very bright at all. You might not even notice it if you weren't really paying attention.

Well, that's kind of like a low-surface-brightness galaxy. It's a galaxy that doesn't shine as brightly as other galaxies we see in the sky. But just because it's not as bright doesn't mean it's not as important or interesting.

These galaxies are more spread out and have stars that aren't as tightly packed together as other galaxies. It's kind of like having a bigger house with less furniture in it. It still has all the necessary parts and functions, but it looks different and can be harder to spot.

Scientists study these galaxies to learn more about how galaxies form and evolve over time. They can also teach us about the mysterious dark matter that scientists believe makes up a large part of the universe.

So, in short, a low-surface-brightness galaxy is just like a dimmer star in the sky, but it's still worth studying and learning about!
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