What is the Difference Between Spiral and Elliptical Galaxies?
🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚The main differences between spiral and elliptical galaxies are their shape, structure, and stellar content. Here are the key differences:
- Shape:
- Elliptical galaxies have a spherical or cucumber-like shape, with their stars orbiting the core in random directions.
- Spiral galaxies have a central disk surrounded by spiral arms, and they typically have a pancake-like shape.
- Structure:
- Elliptical galaxies usually contain little gas and dust, showing very little organization or structure.
- Spiral galaxies have a central bulge of stars, a disk containing arms that form a spiral structure, and a stellar halo encompassing the disk.
- Stellar Content:
- Elliptical galaxies generally contain older, dimmer stars, and very little cold gas for star formation.
- Spiral galaxies contain younger, brighter stars and are solar nurseries. They have a mixture of old stars, star clusters, and dark matter in their halos.
- Star Formation:
- Elliptical galaxies do not actively create new stars.
- Spiral galaxies are actively forming stars, especially in their gas-rich arms.
In summary, elliptical galaxies are characterized by their spherical shape, lack of structure, and older stellar population, while spiral galaxies have a flat, disk-like shape, well-defined structure, and a mix of young and old stars.
On this pageWhat is the Difference Between Spiral and Elliptical Galaxies? Comparative Table: Spiral vs Elliptical Galaxies
Comparative Table: Spiral vs Elliptical Galaxies
Here is a table summarizing the differences between spiral and elliptical galaxies:
Feature | Spiral Galaxies | Elliptical Galaxies |
---|---|---|
Shape | Flat, disk-like | Spherical or cucumber-like |
Arms | Spiral arms | None |
Disk | Central disk | None |
Color | Blue (arms and disk) | Red (central areas) |
Formation | Active star formation | Less active star formation |
- Spiral galaxies are characterized by a central disk surrounded by spiral arms.
- Elliptical galaxies have a spherical or cucumber-like shape.
- Spiral galaxies have active star formation, while elliptical galaxies have less active star formation.
- The arms and disk of a spiral galaxy are blue in color, whereas the central areas are red, similar to elliptical galaxies.
Read more:
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- Galaxy vs Universe
- Circle vs Ellipse
- Hyperbola vs Ellipse
- Circle vs Sphere
- Radial vs Spiral Cleavage
- Ellipse vs Oval
- Star vs Planet
- Space vs Universe
- Spirilla vs Spirochetes
- Elliptical vs Cross Trainer
- Heliocentric vs Geocentric
- Circular Motion vs Spinning Motion
- Lorentz Transformation vs Galilean Transformation
- Ball vs Sphere
- Black Hole vs Wormhole
- Spin vs Orbital Angular Momentum
- Electromagnetic Radiation vs Electromagnetic Spectrum
- Orbit vs Orbital