Table of Contents
How do I know if my galaxy is elliptical?
Elliptical galaxies are preferentially found in galaxy clusters and in compact groups of galaxies. Unlike flat spiral galaxies with organization and structure, elliptical galaxies are more three-dimensional, without much structure, and their stars are in somewhat random orbits around the center.
What type of galaxy do we live in elliptical?
Spiral galaxies contain both old and young stars, as well as interstellar matter, and have typical masses in the range of 109 to 1012MSun. Our own Galaxy is a large spiral. Ellipticals are spheroidal or slightly elongated systems that consist almost entirely of old stars, with very little interstellar matter.
Do all galaxies start as ellipticals?
Astronomers now know that it is NOT an evolutionary sequence because each type of galaxy has very old stars. The oldest stars in any galaxy all have about the same age of around 13 billion years. This means that spirals form as spirals, ellipticals form as ellipticals, and irregulars form as irregulars.
What is another name for elliptical galaxy?
What is another word for elliptical galaxy?
| galaxy | nebula |
|---|---|
| spiral galaxy | star system |
| trichiliocosm | Seyfert galaxy |
| solar system | irregular galaxy |
| island universe | Milky Way |
What is the major difference between an elliptical galaxy and a spiral galaxy?
Spiral galaxies have both young and old stars, whereas elliptical galaxies have only old stars. Among the large galaxies in the universe outside of clusters, most are spiral. Elliptical galaxies are bluer and contain more dust than spiral galaxies.
Is the Milky Way an elliptical galaxy?
Our Milky Way, like other spiral galaxies, has a linear, starry bar at its center. 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.
What does it mean if one elliptical galaxy has broader spectrum lines than another elliptical galaxy?
The more random motion there is in an elliptical galaxy, the greater the spread in the distribution of velocities and the fatter the resulting galaxy spectral lines will be. More massive galaxies have more gravity so their stars are accelerated to faster orbital speeds.
Can an elliptical galaxy evolve into a spiral?
There is no way that an elliptical galaxy could spontaneously begin rotating, so there is no way an elliptical galaxy could turn into a spiral galaxy. Although Hubble was wrong about his theory of galaxy evolution, his diagram provides a useful way to classify galaxies.
Why does an elliptical galaxy look like a giant star?
An elliptical galaxy looks as if it is a giant star because it lacks the distinctive structure of a spiral galaxy, where the bulge is surrounded by a…
What are some examples of elliptical galaxies?
Examples of elliptical galaxies are M32 (an E2 dwarf elliptical next to the Andromeda Galaxy) and M87 (a huge elliptical in the center of the Virgo cluster ).
What are the types of elliptical galaxies?
Elliptical galaxies are divided into three ‘stages’: compact ellipticals (cE), normal ellipticals (E) and late types (E +). Lenticulars are similarly subdivided into early (S −), intermediate (S 0) and late (S +) types. Irregular galaxies can be of type magellanic irregulars (T = 10) or ‘compact’ (T = 11).
How do you describe elliptical galaxies?
Elliptical galaxies are shaped like a spheriod, or elongated sphere. In the sky, where we can only see two of their three dimensions, these galaxies look like elliptical, or oval, shaped disks. The light is smooth, with the surface brightness decreasing as you go farther out from the center.
What is the name of the elliptical galaxy?
Centaurus A, An Elliptical Galaxy. Centaurus A (or Cen A for short) is a typical elliptical galaxy.