Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Milky Way Proficency

Milky Way Galaxy

Ever wondered what galaxies really are? When you hear about the Milky Way, do you think of the candy bar? Or do you think of the galaxy that harbors thousands of stars? There are specific types of galaxies in the universe. They are known as Elliptical, and Irregular galaxies. They all are different, yet the same in many ways.
Elliptical Galaxy, these galaxies are much larger than any other galaxy in the solar system. This Galaxy does not rotate.  They just stand still in space. This galaxy also does not make many stars, because of there is not a lot gas and dust. Almost all of the stars are very old. These galaxies have no disk, but instead a bulge in the center, which is not always round.  And a halo that is brighter towards the middle and gets dimmer as you get closer to the outside.
Irregular Galaxy is the rarest galaxy known. This galaxy is known as the “leftover” galaxy. Usually these galaxies are created, when two or more galaxies collide with each other.  Every type of Irregular galaxy is different. So you can’t say if they always have a bulge, halo, or disk. They usually do not rotate. Some Irregular galaxies can be thousands of years old, and some others could be millions. 
The Milky Way is known as our galaxy. This is a Spiral Galaxy. And is the only galaxy that is visible from Earth. Yet is still smaller than a lot of Elliptical Galaxies. This Galaxy has a lot of dust and gas, and is constantly making stars. The Milky Way is estimated to be almost as old as the Universe.  Which is 13.7 billion years old. Also, this huge galaxy is always made of many different galaxies made into one.

No comments:

Post a Comment