Galaxies
⭐ MasteredA galaxy is a huge group of stars, gas and dust held together by gravity. There are billions of galaxies in the universe, in spiral, elliptical and irregular shapes.
Our galaxy has hundreds of billions of stars.
All about Galaxies
A galaxy is a huge group of stars, gas, dust and dark matter held together by gravity. Our galaxy is called the Milky Way, and it is a spiral galaxy with hundreds of billions of stars. Scientists estimate that there are billions of galaxies in the observable universe.
Galaxies come in different shapes. Spiral galaxies have arms of stars spiralling outwards from a centre, elliptical galaxies are smooth and oval, and irregular galaxies have no clear shape. Galaxies often form groups and clusters.
🎮 Try it yourself!
Loading…
Real-life uses of Galaxies
- Studying how stars and planets form
- Understanding how the universe has changed over billions of years
- Mapping the large structure of the cosmos
Frequently asked questions about Galaxies
What is the Milky Way?
The galaxy that contains our Solar System. From Earth we see it as a band of light across the night sky.
Is the Andromeda galaxy visible?
Yes, on a dark night you can see the Andromeda galaxy as a faint smudge with the naked eye.
How far away are other galaxies?
Many are millions to billions of light-years away.