Galaxy Classification Astronomers sort galaxies into three main types by their shapes:spirals,ellipticals, andirregulars, and further divide them into subtypes based on their particular characteristics. Facts about Galaxies Find out more about one of the galaxies by selecting it below....
The jet extends from the central supermassiveblack holeof the galaxy and reaches out about 5,000 light-years. As a true elliptical galaxy, M87 has no obvious dust lanes and very little evidence of star formation. It likely formed from a recent merger between two other galaxies. Facts about ...
An elliptical galaxy is a galaxy classification used in the Hubble Classification System. Discover what classifies as an elliptical galaxy by exploring the definition, examples, and facts on the normality, size, and formation of these galaxies. Definition Galaxies come in a variety of shapes and ...
When the Milky Way and Andromeda merge in about 4.5 billion years, they will probably form a huge elliptical galaxy. Chances are that our solar system will be relatively unaffected. We might be pulled away from the center of the galaxy, or we might be totally ejected from it. Stars are ...
An elliptical galaxy has a smooth, featureless light distribution and appear as ellipses in photos. A spiral galaxy is a flat, rotating disc with stars, planets, dust and gases. They get their name from the ongoing star formation in the spiral structures extending from the galactic disc. A ...
NGC 514 is an intermediate spiral galaxy with an H II nucleus. It has an apparent magnitude of 12.2 and is approximately 95.9 million light years distant from the solar system. NGC 57 NGC 57 is an elliptical galaxy. It has an apparent magnitude of 12.7. A magnitude 17 supernova was obser...
ELLIPTICAL GALAXY Elliptical galaxies are shaped as their name suggests: they are generally round but can stretch longer along one axis than along the other, so much so that some take on a cigar-like appearance. The universe’s largest known galaxies — giant elliptical galaxies — can contain...
NGC 3842 is an elliptical galaxy, notable for having one of the largest black holes known. The black hole at the centre of the galaxy is believed to have a mass of 9.7 billion solar masses. The galaxy has an apparent magnitude of 12.8 and is approximately 331 million light years distant ...
The Andromeda Galaxy (M31) is the closest large galaxy to theMilky Wayand is one of a few galaxies that can be seen unaided from the Earth. In approximately 4.5 billion years the Andromeda Galaxy and the Milky Way are expected to collide and the result will be a giant elliptical galaxy....
long tails of gas away from each other, and these tails are the sites of starburst activity. In a few billion years, the cores of these two galaxies will be combined into one large core, with a supermassiveblack holeat its heart. It will be surrounded by an elliptical galaxy of old ...