How does star formation in Spiral galaxies manage fuel supply?
Answer
Sustained production over long timescales
Spiral galaxies exhibit a management strategy for their stellar fuel supply that favors longevity and gradual output. Their structure, featuring density waves creating spiral arms, acts like a self-regulating factory that slowly processes its available raw materials over billions of years. This allows them to maintain relatively sustained star formation, keeping perhaps 10% of their gas budget available for future production. This contrasts with the elliptical formation pathway, which is characterized by a massive, catastrophic fuel dump during a merger-driven starburst sprint, leading to a long subsequent period of near stasis.
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