3 Main Types of Galaxies

The Three Main Types of Galaxies

Spiral Galaxies

Spiral galaxies are the most common type of galaxies, making up about 77% of all the galaxies in the universe. They have the shape of a disk with many spiral arms coming from the center, which they all rotate in the same direction. In fact our own galaxy, the Milky Way, is a spiral galaxy.

Elliptical Galaxies

Elliptical galaxies are circular and or oval in shape, the brightness slowly dims down from the center.

Irregular

Irregular galaxies are those who cannot be classified neither as a spiral galaxy nor as an elliptical galaxy, simply because they don’t have a specific symmetrical shape as its name suggests.