Endless Facts, One Snippet at a Time
Galaxies Explained: Islands of Stars in Space
- Galaxies are vast systems of stars, gas, dust, and dark matter bound by gravity.
- Our Milky Way is just one of over 100 billion galaxies in the observable universe.
- Galaxies come in shapes like spirals, ellipticals, and irregulars.
- A typical galaxy contains billions or even trillions of stars.
- Supermassive black holes usually sit at the centers of galaxies.
- Galaxies often form clusters and superclusters, linked by cosmic filaments.
- Interactions and collisions between galaxies can spark bursts of new star formation.
- The Andromeda Galaxy is on a collision course with the Milky Way in 4 billion years.
- Dwarf galaxies, though small, are the most common type in the universe.
- Studying galaxies helps reveal the history and fate of cosmic structure.