ASTRONOMY TEKS

LO
(A) describe characteristics of galaxies;

(B) recognize the type, structure, and components of our Milky

Way galaxy and location of our solar system within it; and

(C) compare and contrast the different types of galaxies,

including spiral, elliptical, irregular, and dwarf.

DOL
The student will differentiate between the 4 different types of
galaxies and know their major characteristics
GALAXIES

Galaxy = not Universe

 STAR
SOLAR SYSTEM

STAR CLUSTER

GALAXY
GALAXY CLUSTER
SUPER CLUSTER
 WHAT IS A “STAR CLUSTER”?

STARS
formed together at same time
gravitationally bound together ( by intermediate black
hole)

TYPES:
1) Open (galactic)
2) Globular
 TYPES OF STAR CLUSTERS
GLOBULAR OPEN
NUMBER millions to 100s of millions of stars dozens to thousands
AGE OLD = 6 to 13 billion years YOUNG = a few million years old
TYPE mostly red giants and dwarfs Main sequence
LOCATION  clumped closely together  in the spiral arms of a galaxy
 especially near center of cluster (densely) surround our disk  surrounded by nebula from which they formed
as a halo
 WHAT IS A “GALAXY”?

= separate rotating system of millions, billions or trillions of stars

plus gas and dust

GALAXIES = 50 billion – one trillion in visible universe

 TYPES OF GALAXIES
TYPES SPIRAL ELLIPTICAL LENTICULAR IRREGULAR
SHAPE Spherical to football = Lens = spiral - arms Non specific
Central Bulge
 + halo   X
Bar Some X X X
Disk
 X  X
Spiral Arms
 X X X
SIZE Large  no dwarfs Dwarf, large, giant
DUST / GAS 1) Little  center Very little Very little lots
2) Lots  arms
AGE OF STARS 1) Older Mostly old Mostly old Mostly young
2) Younger
 OUR GALAXY: THE MILKY WAY
>200 billion stars
lots of gas and dust
barred-spiral (bar in middle)
100,000 ly wide
Sun is halfway to the edge

CENTER = super massive blackhole called Sagittarius A

 FACTS about GALAXIES
 Milky Way = 300 billion stars

 CLOSEST STAR = 4.3 ly (Alpha Centauri)

 CLOSEST GALAXY = 100,000 ly
 FARTHEST GALAXY = 13.2 billion ly
Spiral Galaxy
on Edge
 How do we DISTINGUISH GALAXIES ?

NO  BY SIGHT

YES  MEASURING DISTANCE

• Comparing absolute and apparent magnitude we can measure the distance of stars
and supernova

• And differentiate if star is from our galaxy or another

 SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLES
• almost every medium to large galaxy
 supermassive black hole at the center

• the larger the galaxy

 the more massive the black hole

• galaxy & black holes seem to grow together

• black holes at the center of galaxies which give off radio waves,
x-rays
 QUASARS
 COLLISIONS!
• Galaxies in groups and clusters often collide

• Milky Way is moving toward Andromeda Galaxy

• They may collide in about 5 billion years

• Stars don’t usually collide (lot of space in between)

• New orbits, gas piles up to form new stars

 Galaxy Clusters

Local Group
= Milky Way, Andromeda +
30 other smaller galaxies

Virgo Cluster
= hundreds to thousands of
galaxies
60 million light-years away

Heading for a collision course

Superclusters!

• clusters of clusters

• mapped, and grouped into long strings

LENGTH = 300 million  billion light-years

WIDTH = 100  300 million light-years wide
THICKNESS = 10 to 30 million light-years