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Size (left) and distance (right) of a few well-known galaxies put to scale. There are an estimated 100 billion galaxies in all of the observable universe. [1] On the order of 100,000 galaxies make up the Local Supercluster, and about 51 galaxies are in the Local Group (see list of nearest galaxies for a complete list).
A galaxy is a system of stars, stellar remnants, interstellar gas, dust, dark matter, bound together by gravity. The word is derived from the Greek galaxias, literally 'milky', a reference to the Milky Way galaxy that contains the Solar System.
List of largest galaxies; List of galaxies with richest globular cluster systems; List of nearest galaxies; List of galaxies named after people; List of spiral galaxies; List of polar-ring galaxies; List of ring galaxies; List of quasars; Satellite galaxies. List of satellite galaxies of the Milky Way; List of Andromeda's satellite galaxies ...
This is a list of largest galaxies known, sorted by order of increasing major axis diameters. The unit of measurement used is the light-year (approximately 9.46 × 10 12 kilometers). Overview
Galaxy group Origin of name Notes Local Group: The galaxy group that includes the Milky Way. Bullet Group: Named in comparison with the Bullet Cluster, being of similar formation, except smaller. Also has a systematic catalogue name SL2S J08544-0121. As of 2014, it was the lowest mass object that showed separation between the concentrations of ...
Some galaxies have been observed to form stars at an exceptional rate, which is known as a starburst. If they continue to do so, they would consume their reserve of gas in a time span less than the galaxy's lifespan. Hence starburst activity usually lasts only about ten million years, a relatively brief period in a galaxy's history.
2005 – Spitzer Space Telescope data confirm what had been considered likely since the early 1990s from radio telescope data, i.e., that the Milky Way Galaxy is a barred spiral galaxy. [ 14 ] [ 15 ] 2012 – Astronomers report the discovery of the most distant dwarf galaxy yet found, approximately 10 billion light-years away.
Initially, the names given to minor planets followed the same pattern as the other planets: names from Greek or Roman myths, with a preference for female names. With the discovery in 1898 of the first body found to cross the orbit of Mars, a different choice was deemed appropriate, and 433 Eros was chosen.