What are the characteristics of a lenticular galaxy?
Lenticular galaxies generally have flat, disk-like shapes. However, unlike spiral galaxies, they lack the distinctive arms that usually wrap themselves around the central bulge. (Though, like both spiral and elliptical galaxies, they can have a bar structure passing through their cores.)
What are 3 characteristics of an elliptical galaxy?
There are four distinguishing characteristics of the ellipticals: (a) they have much more random star motion than orderly rotational motion (star orbits are aligned in a wide range of angles and have a wide range of eccentricities); (b) they have very little dust and gas left between the stars; (c) this means that they …
What is an example of a lenticular galaxy?
A lenticular galaxy has a large disc, but no spiral arms. An example of a S lenticular galaxy is the Cartwheel Galaxy, also known as ESO 350-40 and PGC 2248. An example of a Sb lenticular galaxy is NGC 2787. An example of a Sa lenticular galaxy is Messier 85, also known as NGC 4382.
What is a lenticular galaxy simple definition?
[ lĕn-tĭk′yə-lər ] A galaxy having a central bulge surrounded by a flattened disk with no pattern of spiral arms.
What is the difference between elliptical and lenticular galaxies?
Lenticular galaxies like M85 (left) have a central bulges and disks, but no spiral arms. If the disk is faint, it is easy to mistake a lenticular galaxy for an elliptical galaxy – S0 galaxies look very much like E0 galaxies. Lenticular galaxies are sometimes called armless spirals.
What is the most striking visual feature of this lenticular galaxy?
What is the most striking visual feature of this lenticular galaxy? It looks like the central bulge of a spiral galaxy but it has no spiral arms.
Why are lenticular galaxies special?
Lenticular galaxies are unique in that they have a visible disk component as well as a prominent bulge component. They have much higher bulge-to-disk ratios than typical spirals and do not have the canonical spiral arm structure of late-type galaxies, yet may exhibit a central bar.
What difference is there between a lenticular galaxy and a spiral galaxy?
Lenticular galaxies are sometimes called “armless spiral galaxies.” Lenticular galaxies have a central bulge, but no spiral arms. If the central bulge is not very bright, it can be very difficult to tell the difference between a lenticular galaxy and an E0 galaxy.
What are lenticular galaxies made of?
They clearly exhibit a bulge and disk similar to spiral galaxies, but do not show any signs of spiral arms or significant quantities of interstellar material. They consist primarily of old, Population II stars and for this reason, are often misclassified as elliptical galaxies when viewed face-on.
Lenticular galaxies are a distinct shape that seems to be somewhere between spiral and elliptical. Most lenticulars have central bulges and seem to have differences in their rotational actions from other galaxies. Lenticulars could be forming when spiral galaxies merge.
Where do lenticular galaxies appear in the galaxy classification system?
As you can see from the illustration below, courtesy of nova Celestial, the position where Lenticular Galaxies appear in the galaxy classification system. The classification scheme was devised by Edwin Hubble, the same person who the Hubble Space Telescope was named after.
What are some examples of non-barred lenticular galaxies?
An example of a non-barred lenticular is Lindsay-Shapley Ring which has a bright bulge than the ring even if the ring does look a bit perculiar. If you compare that with the Andromeda Galaxy, you will see that centre is not brighter than the rings.
Why are lenticular galaxies on the Hubble sequence?
Lenticular galaxies are often considered to be a poorly understood transition state between spiral and elliptical galaxies, which results in their intermediate placement on the Hubble sequence. This results from lenticulars having both prominent disk and bulge components.