Galaxy - Wikipedia
A galaxy is a system of stars, stellar remnants, interstellar gas, dust, and dark matter bound together by gravity. [1][2] The word is derived from the Greek galaxias (γαλαξίας), literally 'milky', a reference to the Milky Way galaxy that contains the Solar System.
What Is a Galaxy? | NASA Space Place – NASA Science for Kids
Dec 5, 2024 · What Is a Galaxy? The Short Answer: A galaxy is a huge collection of gas, dust, and billions of stars and their solar systems, all held together by gravity. We live on a planet called Earth that is part of our solar system. But where is our solar system? It’s …
Galaxies - NASA Science
Galaxies consist of stars, planets, and vast clouds of gas and dust, all bound together by gravity. The largest contain trillions of stars and can be more than a million light-years across. The smallest can contain a few thousand stars and span just a few hundred light-years.
Milky Way - Wikipedia
The Milky Way [c] is the galaxy that includes the Solar System, with the name describing the galaxy's appearance from Earth: a hazy band of light seen in the night sky formed from stars that cannot be individually distinguished by the naked eye.. The Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy with a D 25 isophotal diameter estimated at 26.8 ± 1.1 …
Galaxy | Definition, Formation, Types, Properties, & Facts | Britannica
Dec 21, 2024 · galaxy, any of the systems of stars and interstellar matter that make up the universe. Many such assemblages are so enormous that they contain hundreds of billions of stars. Nature has provided an immensely varied array of galaxies, ranging from faint, diffuse dwarf objects to brilliant spiral-shaped giants.
Hubble's Galaxies - NASA Science
Galaxies are the visible foundation of the universe; each one a collection of stars, planets, gas, dust, and dark matter held together by gravity. Hubble’s observations give us insight into how galaxies form, grow, and evolve through time. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center; Lead Producer: Miranda Chabot; Lead Writer: Andrea Gianopoulos.
Galaxies Images - NASA Science
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has peered into the chaos of the Cartwheel Galaxy, revealing new details about star formation... This landscape of “mountains” and “valleys” speckled with glittering stars is actually the edge of a nearby, young, star-forming region...
Galaxies—facts and information - National Geographic
Apr 17, 2019 · Galaxies are sprawling systems of dust, gas, dark matter, and anywhere from a million to a trillion stars that are held together by gravity. Nearly all large galaxies are thought to also...
Galaxies - HubbleSite
Oct 28, 2024 · Galaxies are vast cosmic islands of stars, gas, dust, and dark matter held together by gravity. Hubble’s keen eye has revealed intricate details of the shapes, structures, and histories of galaxies — whether alone, as part of small groups, or within immense clusters.
What’s a galaxy? All you need to know - EarthSky
May 21, 2024 · A galaxy is a vast island of gas, dust and stars in an ocean of space. Typically, galaxies are millions of light-years apart. Galaxies are the building blocks of our universe.