Flocculent spiral galaxy
Have you ever seen a snow globe? Inside the snow globe, you might see tiny pieces of glitter or snowflakes floating around. Now imagine if those pieces of glitter or snowflakes were made of stars and the snow globe was a galaxy. That's sort of what a flocculent spiral galaxy is like.
A flocculent spiral galaxy is a specific type of galaxy that looks like a flat disk with spiral arms coming off of it. These spiral arms are made up of clusters of stars, gas, and dust that all move together in a big swirling pattern.
What makes a flocculent spiral galaxy different from other spiral galaxies is the way these arms look. Instead of being really defined and smooth or being a mess of random shapes, the arms of a flocculent spiral galaxy have a more fluffy, puffy, or patchy appearance, like cotton balls or bits of fluff stuck together. That's why they're called "flocculent" - it's a fancy word that means fluffy or woolly.
Scientists aren't exactly sure why these galaxies form in this way or what causes this fluffy appearance, but they think it might have to do with the way gas and dust move around in the galaxy. Regardless, flocculent spiral galaxies are a pretty cool sight to see!
A flocculent spiral galaxy is a specific type of galaxy that looks like a flat disk with spiral arms coming off of it. These spiral arms are made up of clusters of stars, gas, and dust that all move together in a big swirling pattern.
What makes a flocculent spiral galaxy different from other spiral galaxies is the way these arms look. Instead of being really defined and smooth or being a mess of random shapes, the arms of a flocculent spiral galaxy have a more fluffy, puffy, or patchy appearance, like cotton balls or bits of fluff stuck together. That's why they're called "flocculent" - it's a fancy word that means fluffy or woolly.
Scientists aren't exactly sure why these galaxies form in this way or what causes this fluffy appearance, but they think it might have to do with the way gas and dust move around in the galaxy. Regardless, flocculent spiral galaxies are a pretty cool sight to see!