Galaxy

Rare card · No. 19401

A galaxy is a physical system of stars, planetary systems, stellar remnants, substellar objects, interstellar gas, dust, and dark matter bound together by gravity. The word is derived from the Greek galaxias (γαλαξίας), meaning 'milky', a reference to the Milky Way galaxy that contains the Solar System. Galaxies, averaging an estimated 100 million stars, range in size from dwarfs with less than a thousand stars to the largest galaxies known—supergiants with one hundred trillion stars, each orbiting its galaxy's center of mass. Most of the mass in a typical galaxy is in the form of dark matter, with only a few percent of that mass visible in the form of stars and nebulae. Supermassive black holes are a common feature at the centers of galaxies. Galaxies are categorised according to their visual characteristics such as elliptical, spiral, or irregular. The Milky Way is an example of a spiral galaxy. In addition to shape, galaxies may be notable due to special properties, such as interacting...

Read on Wikipedia · Image The Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI/NASA) NASA Headquarters - Greatest Images of NASA (NASA-HQ-GRIN), Public domain