Why are galaxies so flat?

Summary. As galaxies form, the collisions of objects with each other cancel their momentum in all directions except for the direction of the rotation. The stars line up around the center of rotation, creating the flat, or pancake-like shape.

Why can’t astronomers see into the exact center of a galaxy like our Milky Way?

Where are we in the Milky Way galaxy? Why can’t astronomers see into the exact center of a galaxy like our Milky Way? There are too many stars – it is like being in a forest and not being able to see vary far because all the trees block your view. Which four planets are considered terrestrial or Earth-like?

Why are we not seeing the true shape of the Andromeda galaxy when we look at it through a telescope?

Through a telescope the Andromeda Galaxy looks quite diffuse. Use your lowest power; the full extent of the galaxy is huge — five times as large as the full moon. You won’t be able to get the whole thing in the field of view; you have to move the telescope around.

Are galaxies actually flat?

It’s bent — big time. A new study of the Milky Way shows that our home galaxy is significantly warped. Instead of forming a relatively flat disk, the hundreds of billions of stars that make up the Milky Way form a disk that’s noticeably twisted at the edges, a bit like a flattened letter “S.”

Are the galaxies flat?

“Our results show that the Milky Way Galaxy is not flat. It is warped and twisted far away from the galactic centre. Warping may have happened through past interactions with satellite galaxies, intergalactic gas or dark matter (invisible material present in galaxies about which little in known).”

Is the Milky Way warped?

Our home galaxy is even more twisted than we thought. Astronomers have created a 3D map of the Milky Way’s disk revealing that it is warped, not flat. These stars burn up to 10,000 times more brightly than the sun so they are visible from across the galaxy and through interstellar clouds of gas and dust.

What determines the degree of flattening of a galaxy?

The degree of flattening of a galaxy has to do with velocdad rotation co. the higher the rotational speed thereof, the greater the flattening. This can be evident when contrasted with the different rotation speeds of galaxies as a function of flattening. You will see that there is a direct relationship.

Why do galaxies collapse in certain directions but not others?

The answer to your first question is just what you guessed: rotation. The flat (e.g., spiral) galaxies tend do be rotating, whereas the less flat ones (e.g., ellipticals) tend not to be. Conservation of angular momentum lets the rotating ones collapse along the direction of the rotation axis but not the other directions.

What does the Milky Way galaxy look like?

Yet similarities aside, every galaxy has a unique story to tell. The history of each one is reflected in its shape. Scientists divide galaxies up into a handful of appearance-based categories. The Milky Way is what’s known as a spiral galaxy, meaning that it looks like a broad, flattened disc with a slight bulge protruding outward at its center.

How do elliptical galaxies form?

GuhaThakurta says elliptical galaxies form when two spiral galaxies of comparable mass merge together. (Although he adds that this might not be the only process by which elliptical galaxies are formed.) Incidentally, our very own Milky Way is about to participate in one of these mergers.