• Question: What is the difference between an irregular galaxy, a elliptical galaxy and a spiral galaxy.

    Asked by lone shadow to Dominic, James, Jenny, Kevin, Norah on 13 Mar 2017.
    • Photo: Dominic Doyle

      Dominic Doyle answered on 13 Mar 2017:

      It’s all to do with their geometry – or how they are structured.
      The clue is actually in their names.
      Irregular has an undefined shape,
      Elliptical is shaped like an ellipse with one axis longer than the other
      and Spiral has a number of arms where the stars are gathered which appear to spiral around the centre

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