Galaxies are vast, gravitationally-bound systems of stars, gas, dust, and dark matter that make up the visible structure of the universe. They come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, ranging from small, irregularly shaped dwarf galaxies to massive, spiral or elliptical galaxies that can contain hundreds of billions of stars.
Galaxies are the basic building blocks of the universe and are thought to have formed early in its history through the process of gravitational collapse from small perturbations in the density of matter. Over time, galaxies grow through the accretion of gas and dust, and through mergers with other galaxies.
The stars in galaxies are not uniformly distributed, but instead are organized into various structures such as arms, bars, or bulges, depending on the shape of the galaxy. These structures are influenced by the gravitational interactions between the stars and the gas and dust in the galaxy.
The Fireworks Galaxy, also known as NGC 6946, is a face-on intermediate spiral galaxy located in the constellation Cygnus ...
Markarian's Chain is a visually striking alignment of galaxies in the Virgo constellation, showcasing a series of gravitationally interacting galaxies, such as Messier 84 and Messier 86 ...
Messier 101 is a spiral galaxy located about 21 million light-years away and is considered one of the brightest objects in the night sky ...
Messier 105, located in the constellation Leo, is an elliptical galaxy approximately 32 million light-years away, notable for its smooth appearance and central supermassive black hole. M105 reaches its annual culmination at astronomical midnight around March 1st ...
Messier 108, also known as the Surfboard Galaxy, is a barred spiral galaxy located in the constellation Ursa Major. It reaches its annual culmination at astronomical midnight around March 8th ...
The Andromeda Galaxy is a spiral galaxy, approximately 2.5 million light-years away from Earth, and is visible to the naked eye as a hazy patch in the night sky ...
Messier 33 is a spiral galaxy located in the constellation Triangulum, about 2.7 million light-years away from Earth ...
Messier 81 is a spiral galaxy with a diameter of about 90,000 light-years and a distance of about 12 million light-years from Earth ...
Messier 82 reaches its highest point in the sky around astronomical midnight, around February 16th. It is an irregularly shaped galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major, also known as the Cigar Galaxy due to its long, slender shape ...
Messier 95 is an impressive barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Leo, located approximately 33 million light-years from Earth; M95 reaches its annual culmination at astronomical midnight around February 29th ...
Messier 96, located in the constellation Leo, is a spiral galaxy approximately 31 million light-years away and reaches its annual culmination at astronomical midnight around March 1st ...
NGC 3077 is a barred spiral galaxy in the constellation of Ursa Major, reaching its annual culmination at astronomical midnight around February 18th and is known for its interaction with the galaxies M81 and M82 in the same cosmic neighborhood ...
The Leo I dwarf galaxy is a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way, located approximately 820,000 light-years away from Earth in the constellation Leo. It reaches its annual culmination at astronomical midnight around February 19th ...