The Art of the Universe
Galaxies are vast collections of stars, gas, and dust, held together by gravity. The Milky Way, our galaxy, is a spiral galaxy with billions of stars. Galaxies come in different shapes, like spiral, elliptical, and irregular. Galaxies can collide and merge, sometimes creating new stars. There are about two trillion galaxies in the universe, each with unique features. These cosmic collisions help shape the universe’s structure.
Milky Way
The Milky Way is a spiral galaxy that contains our solar system and billions of stars. It's about 100,000 light-years wide, with our Sun located in one of its spiral arms. The galaxy is just one of trillions in the universe, but it's the closest for study. |
Spiral Galaxies
These galaxies have a flat, disk-like shape with spiral arms that radiate from a central bulge. The Milky Way is an example of a spiral galaxy. |
Elliptical Galaxy
These galaxies have an oval or spherical shape and lack the distinct arms of spiral galaxies. They typically contain older stars and little gas or dust. |