A galaxy is a cosmological object comprised of stars, interstellar gas, stellar remnants, and dust that are bound by gravitational attraction. The word galaxy originates from the Greek and means “system of stars.” Our Milky Way is one example of a galaxy. Despite the large size of this system, it is not entirely clear what makes it unique or how it got its name. Here are some interesting facts about our home star system.
The Milky Way is one of the 54 galaxies that make up the Local Group. It was named after the band of light seen during Classical Antiquity, which is part of the Milky Way. The galaxy is approximately 100,000-180,000 light-years in diameter and is home to 100 billion to 400 billion stars. It is a barred spiral galaxy. This type of star formation is a result of the interaction of gas and dust in the galactic disk.
There are different types of galaxies. Some are quiescent and do not have much activity, while others have a great deal of star formation. A galaxy can be large or small, depending on the amount of activity and structure. The most prominent activity in a galaxy occurs in its nucleus, which has millions of stars. Moreover, the hazy night sky of a galaxy makes it a good place to observe a galaxy.