Milky Way and Canis Major dwarf galaxy. This model of the Milky Way galaxy (blue) and orbiting stars (pink) from the Canis Major dwarf galaxy was produced by infrared data obtained by 2MASS (two micron all-sky survey) in November 2003. Researchers found that the dwarf galaxy was the closest galaxy to the Milky Way and was only 42,000 light years from its galactic centre (white, centre). The small white circle at upper left of the galactic centre inside the Milky Way is the Sun. The pink areas around the Milky Way are streams of stars being pulled away from the dwarf galaxy (white dot at lower left of the galactic centre) by the gravitational forces of the Milky Way.