"The Canis Major
dwarf galaxy [diameter 12 degrees] is classified as an
irregular galaxy and is now thought to be the closest neighbouring galaxy to our location in the
Milky Way, being located about 25,000 light-years away from our
Solar System..
Globular clusters thought to be associated with the Canis Major Dwarf galaxy include
NGC 1851,
NGC 1904 (M79),
NGC 2298 and
NGC 2808, all of which are likely to be a remnant of the galaxy's globular cluster system before its
accretion, or swallowing, into the Milky Way..."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canis_Major_Dwarf_Galaxy