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elliptical galaxy
(redirected from Elliptical Galaxies)

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elliptical galaxy  (-lpt-kl)
The most common type of galaxy, ranging in shape from nearly spherical (classified as E0) to greatly elongated (classified as E7). Elliptical galaxies vary greatly in size and include some of the largest and smallest known galaxies. They do not have spiral arms and have considerably less interstellar gas and dust than spiral galaxies, with little or no star formation taking place within them. Their stars follow individual elliptical orbits around the center of the galaxy. Long thought to be older galaxies which had used up all the material for star formation, it has also been suggested that elliptical galaxies actually form from collisions between spiral galaxies. Compare irregular galaxylenticular galaxyspiral galaxy See more at Hubble classification system.
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Galaxy merging is the most common mechanism to explain the formation of such giant elliptical galaxies.
Giant cannibal galaxy observed having its "last meal" by astronomers by Asian News International
Observations from NASA's infrared Spitzer Space Telescope and the visible-light WIYN telescope atop Kitt Peak in Arizona show that the plume contains old, red stars--exactly the type expected to make up the main stellar population in old elliptical galaxies.
Major merger by Science News
Their strange shapes are a far cry from the majestic spiral and elliptical galaxies we see today.
Ancient galaxies revealed by Hubble by USA Today (Magazine)
 
 
 
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