What are the types of galaxies? A galaxy is a word derived from the linguistic root “majr” and means “a lot of fat.” Galaxies are a term used for stars, planets, meteorites, and other massive clusters that form in space. Through this article, we will learn about galaxies, and mention what What are the types of galaxies, and what are the special types of galaxies.
What are the types of galaxies?
Galaxies are huge gatherings that contain billions of stars, planets, meteorites, moons and asteroids, and also contain cosmic dust, dark matter, and remnants of stars, and are permeated with horrific magnetic fields, in addition to that they are divided into several types, and through the following points we will Learn about the types of galaxies:
- Spiral galaxies.
- Elliptical galaxies.
- Lenticular galaxies.
- Irregular galaxies.
Elliptical galaxies
- This type of galaxy is like a ball stretched out in the sky, where one or two dimensions and also 3 dimensions can be seen, and this type appears in the form of an ellipse or in the form of an oval, which is why it is called the elliptical galaxy.
- In that galaxy, it is possible to observe a dip of the bright, soft light as it moves away from its center as the galaxies are classified according to the length of the galaxy.
- Also, depending on its deviation from its ideally circular shape, the higher the galaxy classification number, the greater the tendency for the galaxy to be elliptical, as shown in the following example.
- An E0 galaxy appears round, which is the perfect shape for it, while an E7 galaxy is one of the very flat galaxies.
- Thus, the scale of the elliptical ranges from E0 to E7, and thus it can be said that the elliptical or elliptical galaxy does not have a specific axis that revolves around it.
- Where the shape of these galaxies varies between spherical and elliptical, and these galaxies can be distinguished from each other by containing large amounts of dark matter.
- It also contains small amounts of dust and gas, as it is believed that these galaxies were formed as a result of the collision of two or more spiral galaxies with each other.
Spiral galaxies
- These galaxies are the most well-known type of celestial galaxy, and are shaped like a flat disk with spiral arms extending out from the galactic core.
- Spiral galaxies are the second type of regular galaxies, and consist of three main divisions: the bulge, the disk, and the halo.
- The bulge: It is a spherical structure located in the center of the galaxy, and we can usually consider this feature as one of the characteristics that indicate the presence of ancient stars in this galaxy.
- Disk: It consists of gas, dust and new stars. The disk is in the form of arms, and the sun is located in one of the arms of the Milky Way galaxy, to which the planet Earth belongs.
- The halo is a very broad spherical structure around the central bulge. Some parts of the disk and halo contain clusters of stars, which are called globular clusters.
- The spiral galaxy can be classified into two types, the ivory spiral galaxies and the second known as polygonal spiral galaxies, and the regular spiral galaxy can be referred to by the symbol SA or S.
- Additionally, it is denoted by the square spiral galaxy with the symbol SB.
- In regular spiral galaxies, the arms originate from the bulge or nucleus, while in polygonal spiral galaxies, the arms are formed from the material inside the nucleus.
- Also, each of the two types of spiral galaxies is classified according to the length of its arms by the English letters A, B, C, D, with class A being the most closely related and in this type the arms are not completely defined but represent different circular patterns.
- As we often find that galaxies can be classified with two of the above letters, this is an indication of the strength of interdependence and cohesion between the arms, as well as the proximity of the arms to each other.
- The distance between them is half the value that occurred between these two characters.
Lenticular galaxies
- This type of galaxy contains both spiral galaxies and galaxies, and these galaxies are still being studied until the present time, as many scientists are conducting research and studies on the origin of lenticular galaxies, also known as gibbous galaxies.
- It is located between the elliptical galaxy E7 and the spiral galaxy Sa. These galaxies differ from spirals because they contain bulges in the middle of the galaxies with a thin disk.
- They differ from spiral galaxies categorized as Sa-type in that they do not have any spiral structure at all, which is why they are called lenticular galaxies.
abnormal galaxies
- These galaxies make up ¼ of the galaxies in the universe, and specialists refer to them as odd or irregular galaxies according to their odd shapes. In addition, some scientists believe that the appearance of these galaxies is caused by distortions caused by a massive galaxy passing through or near them.
- Since there is no symmetric or regular structure, it can be divided into two parts, the Irr I galaxies, and the second part is the Irr II galaxies.
- Note that the Earl galaxies are the ones that contain HII regions, which are regions made up of stars and hydrogen gas, while the Earl galaxies are the ones that contain a lot of dust.
- This is why the light emitted by the stars of this galaxy is blocked, and it also makes it impossible to see the stars in that galaxy.
What are the special types of galaxies?
There are special types of galaxies that we can talk about here in the context of our discussion of the types of galaxies, and these types differ in their shape and characteristics from the rest of the other galaxies, which was a great catalyst through which scientists were able to classify galaxies on a larger scale, and these special galaxies include what follows:
- Dwarf galaxies: They are the smallest types of galaxies in the universe. They are found in a flat shape and are referred to as globular dwarfs, as it is difficult to determine their type and distinguish them from other ordinary galaxies due to the lack of characteristics that distinguish them.
- Active galaxies: It is characterized by the fact that it contains an active black hole that pushes large amounts of energy and throws it out of the galaxy. Many studies have been conducted on this galaxy, but due to the activity of holes in the galaxy, scientists have not been able to discover its secret until now.
- As the black hole in the galaxy emits radium radiation and X-rays that have been detected on the surface of the Earth.
- Star galaxies: Star formation in these galaxies is massive and very active when compared to the activity of stars in other galaxies. These galaxies are characterized by the speed of their formation, and scientists believe that the reason for the formation of the stars of these galaxies is the interactions and collisions that occur in the stellar galaxy.
Here we have come to the end of our scientific article, through which we explained what are the types of galaxies, including elliptical, spiral, lenticular, and anomalous galaxies, and we also learned about the characteristics of each one of them, in addition to what are the special types of galaxies.
Other questions that may interest you
How many galaxies and their names?
The number of galaxies in the universe is estimated at about 100 to 200 billion galaxies, including about 50 galaxies within the Local Galaxy Group and more than 100,000 galaxy clusters, and there is no galactic term called galaxies.
Examples of galaxies?
IC 1101, the largest galaxy in size, with a diameter of about 5.5 million light-years, the Messier 87 galaxy and the Messier 60 galaxy, a galaxy in the constellation Virgo, the mass of this galaxy is about 4.5 billion solar masses, and the Messier 59 galaxy in the constellation Virgo .
What are the seven galaxies?
Black Eye Galaxy, Bode Galaxy, Cartwheel Galaxy, Comet Galaxy, Cigar Galaxy, Large Magellanic Cloud, Hogg Galaxy, Cosmos Red Shift Galaxy.
