Science

Grade 8 • Unit 10: Other Members of the Solar System

LESSON 10.2
Galaxies
Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Learning Competency 2

Learning Objectives 2

Warm-Up 2

Learn about It 4
Galaxy 4
Types of Galaxies Based on Shape 6
Spiral Galaxies 6
Elliptical Galaxies 6
Irregular Galaxies 7

Key Points 9

Check Your Understanding 9

Bibliography 10
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Grade 8 • Unit 10:Other Members of the Solar System

Lesson 10.2
Galaxies

An image of the central region of our Milky Way galaxy.

Introduction
We know that the Earth belongs to the solar system. The solar system, in turn, belongs to a
galaxy, specifically what we call the Milky Way.

If you like watching sci-fi shows or movies, you would know that the Milky Way is not the
only galaxy that exists in the universe. Estimates of how many galaxies exist greatly vary and
this number increases every year. Some scientists even believe that there could be trillions
of galaxies out there.

This lesson will focus on galaxies and how they are classified. What is a galaxy?

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Grade 8 • Unit 10:Other Members of the Solar System

Learning Competency
At the end of this lesson, the given enrichment competency should be met by
the students.
Classify galaxies according to shape.

Learning Objectives
In this lesson, you should be able to do the following:
● Define and describe what a galaxy is.
● Identify and describe the different classifications of galaxies according to
shape.
● Classify other galaxies aside from the Milky Way.

Warm-Up

Galaxy in a Bottle

Materials
● transparent bottle (size depending upon preference)
● cotton roll
● food color of preferred colors
● glitters of preferred colors
● water
● toothpick/small stick (size in accordance to the size of the bottle)
● laminated paper plate (or anything silky that can hold water)

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Grade 8 • Unit 10:Other Members of the Solar System

Procedure
1. Prepare a color mixture. Get the paper plates and use it as a tray. Pour water onto
the plate. Then, put 1 to 2 drops of your desired food color (be careful not to put too
much food color as it will darken: food colors tend to be dark when too much is
poured). Mix the food color and the water well. This will serve as the base for your
galaxy color. You can prepare several food color-water mixture depending on your
desired colors.
2. Prepare cotton pieces. Get your cotton roll and pinch pieces of cotton.
3. Place a cotton piece onto the color mixture and, using your toothpick/stick, roll the
cotton piece until it absorbs the color. Take note, however, that never sit the cotton
piece too long in the mixture as the cotton will darken. Let the colored cotton piece
settle on one side of the paper plate that isn’t touched by the mixture (or get a
separate paper plate).
4. Add additional “star designs” to your galaxy. Using your glitters of desired color
(which will serve as your stars), pour desired amount onto the cotton piece. (Another
option is to mix the glitters directly in the color mixture in Step 1.)
5. Put your starry galaxy onto your bottle using your stick. Repeat the steps until you fill
in your bottle. You now have your own galaxy in a bottle!

Sample output

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Guide Questions
1. What is a galaxy?
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Based on the activity, how would you describe a galaxy?
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Are galaxies of different colors? If so, what does the color of the galaxy depend on?
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________

Learn about It

Essential Questions
What are galaxies? How do scientists collect data about galaxies?

You may have heard about the Milky Way galaxy. This vast space and matter includes our
solar system. Also in this galaxy, Earth exists as a tiny speck together with other star systems
and, possibly, others. Aside from the Milky Way, it is believed that many other galaxies exist.
But what is a galaxy?

Galaxy
A galaxy is a large collection of stars, interstellar gas, dust, and an exotic matter called
dark matter, all held together by gravity. A popular example of a galaxy is the Milky Way,
where the solar system, and Earth, belongs. It is fascinating to note that the word “galaxy”
comes from the Greek word galaxias, which literally means “milk” and eventually becoming a

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reference to the Milky Way. The size of galaxies depends on the number of stars in it: from
dwarfs with a few hundred million stars to giants having one hundred trillion stars.

It has been found out that there are many other galaxies besides the Milky Way. There is no
exact number, but scientists and astronomers estimate that there are about two hundred
billion to two trillion or more galaxies in the observable universe. As evidence to the
enormity of the number of galaxies out there, it is interesting to note that when the Hubble
Space Telescope observed a tiny patch of a seemingly “empty” sky for one million seconds,
which is almost 12 days, the team observed approximately 10 000 galaxies. This is known as
the Hubble Ultra Deep Field. This just shows that there are many galaxies out there aside
from the Milky Way.

Fig. 1. The Hubble Ultra Deep Field image which shows the most distant
galaxies existing shortly after the Big Bang

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Types of Galaxies Based on Shape

Galaxies vary in shapes and sizes. Astronomers classify the galaxies by shape. The three
most common types of galaxies are spiral, elliptical, and irregular.

Spiral Galaxies
Spiral galaxies are disk-shaped galaxies. They have curved arms that make them look like a
pinwheel. These types of galaxies have a greater concentration of stars near their centers.
This area is called the central bulge. A central bulge is a dense group of old stars. The
extending parts from the central bulge are known as the arm. The arms are made up of gas,
dust, and much younger stars. The Milky Way is an example of a spiral galaxy, and the solar
system is located at one of its arms. Fig. 2. shows some examples of spiral galaxies.

Whirlpool galaxy NGC 1300 Andromeda galaxy

Fig. 2. Examples of spiral galaxies

Elliptical Galaxies
Another type of galaxy is the elliptical galaxy. Elliptical galaxies are generally round but
stretched longer along one axis. Some are so elongated that they resemble a cigar. Some
are circular and may look like a snowball. They are among the largest galaxies in the
universe. Some may contain as many as five trillion stars. Although there are numerous
stars in this type of galaxy, new ones may be scarce. This is because of the few gases
present inside the galaxy.

The largest known galaxies in the universe are elliptical. Some are small and are dubbed as

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dwarf elliptical galaxies. Other examples of elliptical galaxies are NGC 3610 and NGC
3923.

NGC 1316 NGC 3610 NGC 3923

Fig. 3. Examples of elliptical galaxies

Did You Know?

It is theorized that at the center of the most currently known massive
galaxies lies a supermassive black hole which is on the order of hundreds
of thousands to billions of solar masses. For the Milky Way galaxy, the
location of the supermassive black hole is thought to correspond to the
location of Sagittarius A*, a black hole.

Irregular Galaxies
Galaxies which are neither spiral nor elliptical are termed irregular galaxies. These galaxies
assume no particular shape. The lack of distinct form of these galaxies is a result of the
gravitational influence of other nearby galaxies. Irregular galaxies may have as few 10
million stars and as many as several billion stars. Some are formed when two galaxies
collide. Examples of irregular galaxies are the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, which can
be seen from the southern hemisphere. These were named after Ferdinand Magellan who
first observed the clouds during his expedition in 1520. Most of the stars in the irregular
galaxies are young. Other examples of irregular galaxies are the NGC 1427A and I Zwicky 18.

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Large and small Magellanic I Zwicky 18 NGC 1427A

clouds

Fig. 4. Examples of irregular galaxies

Galaxies often collide with each other. The Milky Way, for example, may someday merge
with the neighboring Andromeda galaxy. This process of collision is believed to be a
mechanism of the changing shapes of galaxies.

Fig. 5. Near-colliding NGC 2207 and IC 2163 galaxies

Tips
How a galaxy looks may easily be imagined if you know its type. Spiral
galaxies look pinwheels; elliptical galaxies are spherical or elongated; and
irregular galaxies may just simply look randomly arranged.

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Key Points

● A galaxy is a large collection of stars, interstellar gas, dust, and an exotic matter
called dark matter, all held together by gravity.
○ Spiral galaxies are disk-shaped, with a greater concentration of stars near
their centers.
○ Elliptical galaxies are elliptical in shape and may resemble a cigar or a
snowball.
○ Irregular galaxies have no particular shape. They may have as few 10 million
stars and as many as several billion stars.

Check Your Understanding

A. Complete the table below by providing the needed information. Write your answer in
the space provided.

Characteristics Spiral Galaxy Elliptical Galaxy Irregular Galaxy

Shape

Age of stars

Examples

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B. In the space provided, draw the shapes of a spiral galaxy, an elliptical galaxy, and an
irregular galaxy.

Spiral Galaxy Elliptical Galaxy Irregular Galaxy

Bibliography

Braganza, Maria Chona Sulit. 2005. Earth Science (Revised Edition). A Textbook on Earth Science
for the Tertiary Level. Manila: Rex Book Store, Inc

Burke, John G. 1986. Cosmic Debris: Meteorites in History. University of California Press, Ltd.
Accessed July 17, 2017. https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=6saFpP5aticC

Fernandez, Julio. 2005. Comets: Nature, Dynamics, Origin, and their Cosmological Relevance.
Springer. Accessed July 17, 2017.
https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=q7WSu_kmFLQC

Gibilisco, Stan. 2003. Astronomy Demystified. United States of America. McGraw-Hill

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Companies, Inc.

Holt, Rineheart, and Winston. HOLT Science and Technology Earth Science Textbook. United
States of America. Harcourt Education Company

Lutgens, Frederick K and Tarbuck, Edward J. 2005. Foundations of Earth Science Fourth
Edition. New Jersey, USA. Pearson Prentice Hall, Pearson Education, Inc.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Asteroids: In Depth. Accessed July 13, 2017.
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/asteroids/indepth

National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Asteroids. Accessed July 13, 2017.
https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/text/asteroids.txt

National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NEO Basics NEO Groups. Accessed July 13,
2017. https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/about/neo_groups.html

National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Sun-Earth Media Resources. Accessed July
13, 2017. https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/index.html

National Aeronautics and Space Administration Jet Propulsion Laboratory. 1997. Humans
Have Feared Comets, Other Celestial Phenomena Through The Ages. Accessed July 13,
2017. https://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/comet/news59.html

National Aeronautics and Space Administration Science. Galaxies. Accessed July 14, 2017.
https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/what-are-galaxies

National Aeronautics and Space Administration Space Place. Meteor Shower! Last updated
2016, October 27. Accessed July 14, 2017.
https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/meteor-shower/en/

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National Aeronautics and Space Administration Space Place. What is a Galaxy? Last Updated
2016. https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/galaxy/en/

National Geographic. Galaxies. Accessed July 15, 2017.

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/space/universe/galaxies/

Provincial Government of Bataan. Beliefs & Superstitions. Accessed July 13, 2017.
http://bataan.gov.ph/home/bataan-articles/261-beliefs-a-superstitions.html

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