What is an elliptical galaxy?
Q: What is an elliptical galaxy?
A: An elliptical galaxy is a type of galaxy that has an ellipsoidal shape and a smooth, nearly featureless brightness profile.
Q: Who originally described the three main types of galaxies?
A: Edwin Hubble originally described the three main types of galaxies in 1936.
Q: What are the other two types of galaxies besides elliptical?
A: The other two types of galaxies besides elliptical are spiral and lenticular galaxies.
Q: How big can an elliptical galaxy be?
A: Elliptical galaxies can range in size from hundreds of millions to over one trillion stars.
Q: Are stars found inside elliptical galaxies younger or older than those found in spiral galaxies?
A: Stars found inside elliptical galaxies are much older (and cooler; thus redder) than stars found in spiral galaxies.
Q: What kind of star formation activity do elliptical galaxies typically have?
A: Most elliptical galaxies have minimal (or no) star formation activity and tend to be composed of older, low-mass stars with a sparse interstellar medium.
Q: How common are early-type (elliptic and lenticular)galaxies compared to others in the universe overall?
A: Early-type (elliptic and lenticular)galaxies make up approximately 10–15% of all the galaxies in the Virgo Supercluster but they are not very common in the universe overall.
