List of galaxies - Wikipedia
There are about 51 galaxies in the Local Group (see list of nearest galaxies for a complete list), on the order of 100,000 in the Local Supercluster, and an estimated 100 billion in all of the observable universe. [ 1 ] The discovery of the nature of galaxies as distinct from other nebulae (interstellar clouds) was made in the 1920s.
Galaxies - NASA Science
Our home galaxy is called the Milky Way. It’s a spiral galaxy with a disk of stars spanning more than 100,000 light-years. Earth is located along one of the galaxy’s spiral arms, about halfway from the center. Our solar system takes about 240 million years to orbit the Milky Way just once.
Solar System, Galaxy, Universe: What’s the Difference? - Science@NASA
Jun 1, 2017 · The universe is all of the galaxies – billions of them! NASA’s telescopes allow us to study galaxies beyond our own in exquisite detail, and to explore the most distant reaches of the observable universe.
Galaxy - Wikipedia
A galaxy is a system of stars, stellar remnants, interstellar gas, dust, and dark matter bound together by gravity. [1] [2] The word is derived from the Greek galaxias (γαλαξίας), literally 'milky', a reference to the Milky Way galaxy that contains the Solar System.
Galaxy | Definition, Formation, Types, Properties, & Facts | Britannica
Nov 25, 2024 · A galaxy is any of the systems of stars and interstellar matter that make up the universe. Many such assemblages are so enormous that they contain hundreds of billions of stars. Galaxies usually exist in clusters, some of which measure hundreds of …
What Is a Galaxy? | NASA Space Place – NASA Science for Kids
Dec 5, 2024 · A galaxy is a huge collection of gas, dust, and billions of stars and their solar systems, all held together by gravity. We live on a planet called Earth that is part of our solar system. But where is our solar system?
Found: First Actively Forming Galaxy as Lightweight as Young …
2 days ago · “This galaxy has a diverse population of star clusters, and it is remarkable that we can see them separately at such an early age of the universe,” said Chris Willott from the National Research Council of Canada’s Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Centre, a co-author and the observation program’s principal investigator.
Galaxies - HubbleSite
Oct 28, 2024 · Galaxies are vast cosmic islands of stars, gas, dust, and dark matter held together by gravity. Hubble’s keen eye has revealed intricate details of the shapes, structures, and histories of galaxies — whether alone, as part of small groups, or within immense clusters.
Galaxies—facts and information - National Geographic
Apr 17, 2019 · Galaxies are sprawling systems of dust, gas, dark matter, and anywhere from a million to a trillion stars that are held together by gravity. Nearly all large galaxies are thought to also contain...
Firefly Sparkle: 'Christmas' galaxy reveals how Universe formed
“I just love the sparkle galaxy with its Christmas lights shining as it was when the Universe was just 600 million years old,” Prof Catherine Heymans, Scotland’s Astronomer Royal, told BBC News.