What are the characteristics of an elliptical galaxy?
There are four distinguishing characteristics of the ellipticals: (a) they have much more random star motion than orderly rotational motion (star orbits are aligned in a wide range of angles and have a wide range of eccentricities); (b) they have very little dust and gas left between the stars; (c) this means that they …
What is the composition of elliptical galaxies?
Elliptical galaxies are made up of mostly old stars, and do not have much gas and dust. There is very little new star formation in these galaxies. Elliptical galaxies also come in many sizes.
Which is a characteristic for this type of galaxy?
Other classification schemes and galaxy types
| de Vaucouleurs’s classification of galaxies | |
|---|---|
| stages | type |
| S(s) | |
| S(rs) | |
| 0/a | S0/a |
What are the characteristics of a irregular galaxy?
An irregular galaxy is the catchall name given to any galaxy that does not neatly fit into one of the categories of the Hubble classification scheme. They have no defined shape nor structure and may have formed from collisions, close encounters with other galaxies or violent internal activity.
Which statement describes a characteristic of a spiral galaxy?
Most spiral galaxies contain a central bulge surrounded by a flat, rotating disk of stars. The bulge in the center is made up of older, dimmer stars, and is thought to contain a supermassive black hole. Approximately two-thirds of spiral galaxies also contain a bar structure through their center, as does the Milky Way.
What are the differences between spiral and elliptical galaxies?
Spiral galaxies have a central bulge of stars surrounded by a disk that contains arms, which form a spiral structure. Elliptical galaxies don’t show any structure, but have a smooth ellipsoidal shape, appearing as a large spherical or elliptical ball of stars.
What are some unique characteristics of galaxies?
The Characteristics of Galaxies. Like all galaxies, the Milky Way is held together by gravity. Gravity also holds the stars, planetary bodies, gas, and dust in orbit around the center of the galaxy. Just as the planets orbit around the Sun, the Sun orbits around the center of the Milky Way.
Which statements describe elliptical galaxies?
Elliptical galaxies lack the swirling arms of their more well-known siblings, spiral galaxies. Instead, they bear the rounded shape of an ellipse, a stretched-out circle.