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A flat, rotating disc of stars and interstellar matter of which spiral arms are prominent components. A central stellar bulge of mainly older stars, which resembles an elliptical galaxy. A bar-shaped distribution of stars. A near-spherical halo of stars, including many in globular clusters.
Barred spiral galaxy. A barred spiral galaxy is a spiral galaxy with a central bar-shaped structure composed of stars. [1] Bars are found in about two thirds of all spiral galaxies in the local universe, [2] and generally affect both the motions of stars and interstellar gas within spiral galaxies and can affect spiral arms as well.
The interstellar medium ( ISM) is the matter and radiation that exists in the space between the star systems in a galaxy. This matter includes gas in ionic, atomic, and molecular form, as well as dust and cosmic rays. It fills interstellar space and blends smoothly into the surrounding intergalactic space.
A spiral galaxy is a type of galaxy characterized by a central bulge of old Population II stars surrounded by a rotating disc of younger Population I stars. A spiral galaxy maintains its spiral arms due to density wave theory.
Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, galaxies, meteoroids, asteroids, and comets.
A flocculent spiral galaxy is a type of spiral galaxy. Unlike the well-defined spiral architecture of a grand design spiral galaxy, flocculent (meaning "flaky") galaxies are patchy, with discontinuous spiral arms. [1] [2] Self-propagating star formation is the apparent explanation for the structure of flocculent spirals. [3]
Image of spiral galaxy M81 combining data from the Hubble, Spitzer, and GALEX space telescopes. Density wave theory or the Lin–Shu density wave theory is a theory proposed by C.C. Lin and Frank Shu in the mid-1960s to explain the spiral arm structure of spiral galaxies. [1] [2] The Lin–Shu theory introduces the idea of long-lived ...
A Magellanic spiral galaxy is a spiral galaxy with only one spiral arm. Magellanic spiral galaxies are classified as the type Sm (with sub-categories SAm, SBm, SABm ); the prototype galaxy and namesake for Magellanic spirals is the Large Magellanic Cloud, an SBm galaxy. They are usually smaller dwarf galaxies and can be considered to be ...