Is the Milky Way a spiral or elliptical galaxy?

The Milky Way is thought to be a barred spiral galaxy, as are about 2/3 of all observed spiral galaxies. Spiral and barred spiral galaxies are subclassified by how tightly wound the spiral arms appear.

Is the Milky Way a circular shaped galaxy?

Our Milky Way Galaxy is a spiral galaxy. Some spiral galaxies are what we call “barred spirals” because the central bulge looks elongated – like a bar.

What shape is the Milky Way?

SpiralMilky Way / Shape

The Milky Way is a huge collection of stars, dust and gas. It’s called a spiral galaxy because if you could view it from the top or bottom, it would look like a spinning pinwheel. The Sun is located on one of the spiral arms, about 25,000 light-years away from the center of the galaxy.

Is the Milky Way a small elliptical?

They are spherical or ovoid masses of stars, starved of star-making gases. The smallest known elliptical galaxy is about one-tenth the size of the Milky Way.

What is an elliptical galaxy made of?

Elliptical galaxies are made up of mostly old stars, and do not have much gas and dust. There is very little new star formation in these galaxies. Elliptical galaxies also come in many sizes. The largest galaxies we see are ellipticals, but, elliptical galaxies can also be small.

What type of spiral galaxy is the Milky Way?

barred spiral galaxy
The Milky Way is a large barred spiral galaxy. All the stars we see in the night sky are in our own Milky Way Galaxy. Our galaxy is called the Milky Way because it appears as a milky band of light in the sky when you see it in a really dark area.

Why is the Milky Way spiral shaped?

Astronomers believe that galaxies have spiral arms because galaxies rotate – or spin around a central axis – and because of something called “density waves.” A spiral galaxy’s rotation, or spin, bends the waves into spirals. Stars pass through the wave as they orbit the galaxy center.

What does a elliptical galaxy look like?

Elliptical galaxies are ellipsoidal in shape, contain no spiral arms, contain little interstellar gas or dust, and are found mostly in rich clusters of galaxies. Elliptical galaxies appear typically yellow-red, as opposed to spirals which have spiral arms that appear quite blue.

What is the size of Milky Way?

105,700 light yearsMilky Way / Diameter

Will the Milky Way become an elliptical?

The interacting spiral galaxy pair known as Arp 87. The tidal interactions strip gas and form new stars, but these galaxies will eventually merge together. Surprisingly to many, however, it’s unlikely to form an elliptical as a result.