elliptical galaxy articles
What is the basic shape of an elliptical galaxy?
The basic shape of an elliptical galaxy is often described as an **ellipsoid**, a three-dimensional figure that resemble...
What is the method by which the rate of rotation of a galaxy is calculated?
Calculating the rate at which a galaxy spins is one of the most foundational measurements in astrophysics, providing dir...
Why is light red-shifted more from distant galaxies than nearby ones?
The observation that light from galaxies farther away appears systematically "redder" than light from those relatively c...
What does redshift tell us about distant galaxies?
The light arriving at our telescopes from galaxies millions or billions of light-years away carries a crucial message ab...
How are galaxies measured?
Determining the distance to a galaxy millions or even billions of light-years away is one of the greatest intellectual a...
How do you measure the mass of a galaxy?
Weighing something as enormous and distant as a galaxy requires a clever application of the laws of physics, relying ent...
What would happen to Earth if two galaxies collide?
The cosmic ballet of galaxies is rarely a gentle dance; it is often a slow, inevitable merger dictated by gravity over t...
What type of galaxies have mostly younger stars?
The cosmic census reveals a vast collection of stellar islands, each categorized primarily by its shape, a morphology th...
Which type of galaxy often contains older stars and little gas?
When we survey the vast cosmic landscape, astronomers categorize galaxies into several major families based on their vis...
Do elliptical galaxies have a definite shape?
The visual description of an elliptical galaxy—a smooth, featureless ball or oval of light—suggests a straightforward ge...
How is a spiral galaxy classified?
The process of sorting the cosmos into neat categories is fundamental to astronomy, and few objects demand more nuanced ...
What is the farthest galaxy we can see with our eyes?
The farthest celestial object that the average person can spot without optical aid is not a distant star, but an entire ...
How to calculate the distance of a galaxy?
Determining the distance to a galaxy is arguably one of the most fundamental and persistent challenges in astronomy. We ...
Does a spiral galaxy have gas and dust?
Spiral galaxies are anything but empty space populated only by gleaming stars; they are vast, churning ecosystems define...
How do astronomers detect distant galaxies?
Glimmering specks in the night sky, the most distant galaxies offer snapshots of the universe when it was vastly younger...
How do scientists determine the distance to the furthest stars and galaxies?
The challenge of understanding the universe’s true scale begins with a fundamental question: how far away are those twin...
What are the differences between the three types of galaxies?
The universe presents an astounding variety of structures, but when astronomers look out into the deep field, they find ...
What makes galaxies different shapes?
The sheer variety in the cosmos is staggering, from the delicate, pinwheeling structure of our own Milky Way to the vast...
What does a dead galaxy look like?
The cessation of star formation within a massive collection of stars fundamentally alters its appearance, moving it from...
Do dead galaxies exist?
The universe is filled with colossal structures we call galaxies, and for a long time, the picture of their life cycle s...
What are the classification of galaxies and their properties?
The process of making sense of the universe's vast collection of stellar cities—galaxies—begins with classification. Sin...
Are red galaxies real?
The color of a galaxy tells a story, and when we look out into the cosmos, some of the most striking objects are those b...
What is a red galaxy?
The term "red galaxy" in astronomy is not a singular classification but rather a descriptive observation that can arise ...
Is there a black hole in the middle of the Andromeda galaxy?
The question of what resides at the gravitational heart of the Andromeda galaxy, our colossal galactic neighbor, has lon...