Sections 23-25 Powerpoint
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Chapter 23, 24 Galaxies, Quasars and Active Galaxies Chapters 23 and 24 look into the nature of individual galaxies and their environs. 1. The main galaxy types are described, pointing out how they differ in terms of the relative frequency of old and young stars, and interstellar gas, within them. 2. Imaging of galaxies and galaxy clusters reveals that it is a “violent” universe. Evidence for collisions between galaxies is everywhere, although keep in mind that by “collisions” we are talking about events that take place over billions of years, not mere seconds or minutes. The Hubble Sequence: The familiar “tuning fork” diagram developed by Edwin Hubble is an attempt to link the main galaxy types of elliptical (E), spiral (S), barred spiral (SB), and irregular (Ir) classes. The lenticular galaxies (S0, SB0), added later, were a supposed link between spheroidal E galaxies and flattened S and SB galaxies, but unfortunately the diagram was also pictured as an evolutionary sequence. Thus, elliptical galaxies are often referred to as “early- type” galaxies, much like “early-type” OB stars. Elliptical galaxies contain old low-mass stars/no gas or dust and are denoted E0, = circular to E6 = elongated. Sample: IC 4296, E0, NGC 777, E1, NGC 1549, E2, NGC 4365, E3, NGC 4564, E6, NGC 4623, E7. Some are actually lenticulars, S0. Ellipticals are not all the same shape galaxy seen at various angles of projection. Many seem to be oblate (top) or prolate (bottom) spheroids viewed at various angles. Early examples of lenticular = lens-like galaxies. List: NGC 3245, S0, NGC 4251, S0, NGC 4179, S0:, NGC 5422, S0:, NGC 3203, S0:, NGC 4429, S0/Sa. Lenticular galaxies get their name because they are “lens- like,” but are more like spiral and barred spiral galaxies in possessing a flattened disk, rather than like elliptical galaxies which mostly possess ellipsoidal symmetry. The distinguishing feature of lenticulars is that they do not have spiral arms or dust like spiral galaxies. For example, lenticular galaxies seen edge-on do not have dust lanes. van den Bergh suggested a possible origin for lenticular galaxies (S0s) via collisions between spirals. That results in the dust and gas being swept out of the galaxies by ram pressure. Because they have been swept clean of material for making new stars, lenticular galaxies contain only old stars, like elliptical galaxies, and lack the distinguishing features of spirals. The fact that most lenticulars are found in rich clusters of galaxies supports the idea. Hubble Atlas examples of “early-type” spiral galaxies. NGC 3269, Sa, NGC 7096, Sa, NGC 1350, Sa, NGC 1371, Sa, NGC 488, Sab, NGC 2460, Sab. Hubble Atlas examples of “late-type” spiral galaxies. NGC 1566, Sbc, NGC 5247, Sc, NGC 2997, Sc, NGC 3184, Sc, NGC 3938, Sc, NGC 5055, Sbc. The effect of inclination to the line of sight on the appearance of spiral galaxies. Note how dust lanes show up for edge-on spirals. How to get trailing spiral arms from any elongated structure in a disk-dominated galaxy: differential rotation in the disk naturally stretches such features into spiral arms. Note that 2-armed spirals appear to be most common..