Ellipticals contain neither interstellar dust nor bright stars of spectral types O and B . Many, however, contain evidence of the presence of low-density gas in their nuclear regions.
How are the stars distributed in an elliptical galaxy?
Unlike flat spiral galaxies with organization and structure, elliptical galaxies are more three-dimensional, without much structure, and their stars are in somewhat random orbits around the center .
Do elliptical galaxies form stars?
Spiral galaxies are hotbeds of star formation, but elliptical galaxies aren’t nearly as prolific because they contain less gas and dust, which means fewer new (and brighter) stars are born . The existing stars inside an elliptical galaxy tend to be older, giving off more red light than younger stars.
What color stars are in elliptical galaxies?
Elliptical galaxies tend to be very old, and formed their stars a long time ago. With the gas and dust long since gone, there is no material left to make new stars. In the absence of any young, blue stars, ellipticals appear yellow-red in colour .
How old are the stars in a elliptical galaxy?
From ground-based observations, we know that the stars in elliptical galaxies are older than about 3 billion years .
Is the Milky Way an elliptical galaxy?
Just as the Earth goes around the Sun, the Sun goes around the center of the Milky Way. ... The concentration of stars in a band adds to the evidence that the Milky Way is a spiral galaxy . If we lived in an elliptical galaxy, we would see the stars of our galaxy spread out all around the sky, not in a single band.
What is the youngest type of galaxy?
GN-z11 is the youngest and most distant galaxy scientists have observed. This video zooms to its location, some 32 billion light-years away. GN-z11 is 13.4 billion years old and formed 400 million years after the Big Bang. Its irregular shape is typical for galaxies of that time period.
Are elliptical or spiral galaxies bigger?
Elliptical galaxies have a broader range in size than other types of galaxies. ... Spiral galaxies are hotbeds of star formation, but elliptical galaxies aren’t nearly as prolific because they contain less gas and dust, which means fewer new (and brighter) stars are born.
Why does an elliptical galaxy look like one giant star?
Elliptical galaxies don’t actively create new stars, but usually contain very old stars and little gas and dust. The stars in an elliptical galaxy are often close together , making the center seem like one giant star.
Why are elliptical galaxies yellow?
Elliptical galaxies are rounded, featureless collections of old stars that contain very little gas and dust. ... With the gas and dust long since gone, there is no material left to make new stars. In the absence of any young , blue stars, ellipticals appear yellow-red in colour.
What are 3 characteristics of an elliptical galaxy?
There are four distinguishing characteristics of the ellipticals: (a) they have much more random star motion than orderly rotational motion (star orbits are aligned in a wide range of angles and have a wide range of eccentricities); (b) they have very little dust and gas left between the stars; (c) this means that they ...
Why do elliptical galaxies appear red?
Furthermore, there is very little interstellar matter (neither gas nor dust), which results in low rates of star formation, few open star clusters, and few young stars; rather elliptical galaxies are dominated by old stellar populations , giving them red colors.
Which stars are older?
Our Sun is about 4.5 billion years old. Since HD 140283 is a Population II star, it is older. In fact, it is the oldest star with a well-determined age. Because of this, astronomers colloquially call the star “ the Methuselah star .” Initial estimates of its age were in excess of 14 billion years.
What is the rarest galaxy?
Astronomers recently mapped the rarest type of galaxy ever found: an elliptical galaxy
What is the 4 types of galaxies?
In 1936, Hubble debuted a way to classify galaxies, grouping them into four main types: spiral galaxies, lenticular galaxies, elliptical galaxies, and irregular galaxies .
What is the closest elliptical galaxy?
The closest known galaxy to us is the Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy , at 236,000,000,000,000,000 km (25,000 light years) from the Sun. The Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy is the next closest , at 662,000,000,000,000,000 km (70,000 light years) from the Sun.
