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Galaxies:
A Guide for Beginners
Definition:
A system of billions stars, gas and dust help together by gravitation attraction
Our galaxy is the Milky Way
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Types of Galaxies Groups and Clusters

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Galaxies Groups and Clusters

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•Galaxies are not evenly distributed around the galaxies.

•Galaxy groups and clusters are the largest gravitationally bound objects that have been
detected in the universe.
•Groups and clusters can contain anywhere from three to thousands of galaxies.
•Typically containing less than 50 galaxies are referred to as galaxy groups, however,
there is no sharp division line between the two.
•Clusters appear to be collections of galaxies held together by gravitational attraction.
•However, the galaxies velocities are too large for them to be bound solely by the
gravitational attraction implying the presence of dark energy.
•The Milky Way is in the Local group and the Virgo cluster (the background image is of the
Virgo cluster).
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Cluster Properties

• They contain 50 to 1,000 galaxies, hot X-ray emitting gas, and large amounts of dark
matter.
• The distribution of these three types of components is approximately the same in the
cluster.
• Their total masses generally range from 1014 to 1015 solar masses.
• They typically have a diameter from 2 to 10 Mpc.
• The spread of velocities for the individual galaxies is about 800-1000 km/s.
• Super clusters
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Types of Galaxies
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SPIRAL ELLIPTICAL PECULIAR IRREGULAR

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Spiral Galaxies
types of galaxies

Characterized by Select a subgroup

• Large flat rotating disks of stars, gas, and dust to explore:
• A central bulge of older, redder stars, sometimes with a long cylindrical or
rectangular bar of stars a well Grand Design Spiral
• Central bulges vary in size
• Huge extended halo of older stars Flocculent Spiral
• Origin of spiral arms: density wave model: where the spiral arms are regions in
galactic disks are denser than average, as gas and dust piles up piles up in the
Barred Spiral
over dense region the ordered arm star formation is triggered
Likely formed from huge clouds of gas, billions of years ago. As a cloud collapses,
small eddies in the gas get amplified and create an overall spin. This naturally leads to Lenticular Galaxy
a flattening of a cloud.
We live in one!!
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spiral galaxies

Grand Design Spiral

• Characterized by a clearly defined and
well-organized spiral structure.
• It is thought that the arms in these
spirals are over dense regions which
result in star formation as incoming
material to be compressed into that
region.
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Flocculent Spiral
spiral galaxies

• Characterized by patchy structures in its

disk.
• The arms are difficult to trace because
the arms can start and stop at random.
• It is thought that the structure
originates from regions of star
formation that have been stretched into
spiral patterns.
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Barred Spiral
spiral galaxies

• Characterized by a bright line, or bar

running through them.
• A galaxy can be barred and a grand
design, so more of a distinctive sub-sub
section.
• A separate category in the Hubble
classification system, however
recognized as a subgroup by many
scientists.
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Lenticular Galaxy
spiral galaxies

• Often referred to as armless spiral

galaxies because they have a central
bulge but no spiral arms.
• Not truly as much of a subcategory of
spiral galaxies but they share a lot of
similarities
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Elliptical Galaxies
types of galaxies

Characterized by
• Shape Lack of gas and dust in them
• Populated by older stars
• No overall structure, puffy
• Range in size: dwarf ellipticals, to monsters.
Unclear how they form but most likely products of galactic collisions.
• Not all collision result in elliptical galaxies. If a dwarf galaxy collides with a spiral
galaxy, the spiral galaxy can tear it apart and absorb its contents.
• The Milky Way is in the process of absorbing smaller galaxes right now.

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explore elliptical
subgroups
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Elliptical Subclasses
elliptical galaxies

• Subclasses are defined by their apparent shape.

• The flatter the galaxies get the higher E#.
• Perfectly circular image will be an E0 galaxy.
• More elliptical galaxies will be an E7.
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Peculiar Galaxies
types of galaxies

Characterized by
• Lack of shape/chaotic shapes.
• Vary heavily in how they are formed, which is heavily dependent on the size of the
galaxy.

Select a subgroup
to explore:

Active Galaxies Interacting Galaxies

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Active Galaxies
peculiar galaxies

• Produces more energy than normal

galaxies, the center of these galaxies
are more active and luminous.
• Quasars including Blazars. Seyfert
galaxies.
• An object with a lot of gravity is
required to make an active galaxy
• The black holes grow as the host
galaxy grows. Creating super massive
black hole centers.
• More luminant due to the particles
near the black hole periodically
rubbing together, creating kinetic and
thermal energy.
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Interacting Galaxies
peculiar galaxies

• Structure due to collisions.

• When smaller galaxy collides right
into the center of a larger galaxy
the gravity of the smaller galaxy
with draw in stars and then flip
them away: the result is a ring
galaxy.
• If the smaller galaxy does not
collide through the center, the
gravity of the larger galaxy can rip
up and absorb the smaller galaxy.
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Irregular Galaxies
types of galaxies

Characterized by
• Lack of characterizations: for galaxies that do not fit neatly into the Hubble
classification scheme
• Can be a result of a variety of things: collisions, close encounters with other
galaxies, violent internal activity.

Select a subgroup
to explore:

Dwarf Irregulars Large Solar Mass

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irregular galaxies
Dwarf Irregular Galaxies
• Smaller galaxies may just be too
small to collect themselves into a
recognizable shape.
• Satellite galaxies: The Milky Way has
dozens of satellite galaxies.
• The largest are the large Magellanic
clouds and the small Magellenic
clouds (pictured to the right)
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irregular galaxies
Galaxies with Large Solar Masses
• Larger ones are most likely the
product of collisions: the shape was
distorted so much that the
structure was lost.
• Or the gravity from a nearby galaxy
distorting its original shape.
Sources
https://www.universeguide.com/fact/peculiargalaxy
https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Galaxy_groups_and_clusters
http://cas.sdss.org/dr6/en/proj/basic/galaxies/clusters.asp
https://astronomy.swin.edu.au/cosmos/g/grand+design+spiral
https://astronomy.swin.edu.au/cosmos/O/Origin+Of+Spiral+Arms
https://astronomy.swin.edu.au/cosmos/F/Flocculent+Spiral
Galaxies, part 2: Crash Course Astronomy #39
https://www.britannica.com/science/galaxy/Types-of-galaxies