Lenticular Galaxies: The Bridge Between Spirals and Ellipticals

Lenticular galaxies (S0 type) look like spirals without their bright, starry arms.
They have a central bulge and a flat disk but little gas or dust for new stars.
Most of their stars are older and redder, like those in elliptical galaxies.
They are often found in galaxy clusters, shaped by gravitational interactions.
Some astronomers think lenticulars are “faded spirals” that used up or lost their gas.
They act as a transitional class, sitting between spirals and ellipticals on the Hubble sequence.
The Sombrero Galaxy (M104) is a striking lenticular with a brilliant halo of stars.
Their smooth appearance hides a dynamic past of mergers and stripping events.
Lenticular galaxies remind us that galactic evolution is not always a straight line.
They provide key clues to how environment transforms galaxies over cosmic time.