Endless Facts, One Snippet at a Time
Elliptical Galaxies: The Universe’s Star Cities
- Elliptical galaxies are smooth, oval-shaped collections of stars without spiral arms.
- They range from small dwarf ellipticals to giants containing trillions of stars.
- Most stars inside them are old and red, with little gas or dust for new star formation.
- The largest galaxies in the universe are ellipticals, often found at cluster centers.
- They can be nearly spherical or stretched like cosmic cigars.
- Elliptical galaxies often form through mergers of smaller galaxies.
- Unlike spirals, they lack bright star nurseries and dramatic structures.
- They hold some of the oldest known stars, making them cosmic archives of galactic history.
- Many harbor supermassive black holes at their cores.
- Though less flashy than spirals, ellipticals dominate the population of large galaxies in the universe.