A galaxy is a group of stars, dust and gases that are held together by gravity. Our galaxy is the Milky Way and contains about 100 billion stars, one of which is our Sun.
Is it true? All galaxies have names.
No. Each one that we detect is given numbers and letters, but only some, such as our Milky Way, are given a name as well. ‘Galaxy’ comes from the Ancient Greek word for ‘milk’.
How many galaxies are there?
No one knows for sure. There might be hundreds of billions of galaxies – and new ones are forming right now at the edges of the Universe.
Are there different kinds of galaxies?
Yes – each galaxy is unlike any other. Some are bright and some are dim. There are three basic galaxy shapes, though – spiral, elliptical (oval) and irregular. Of course, irregular just means no particular shape!
Amazing! There’s a galaxy named after a wide-brimmed Mexican hat. ‘Sombrero’ is the nickname of galaxy M104. Can you guess the galaxy’s shape?
Picture Credit : Google