Prolate rotator galaxy
A prolate rotator galaxy is like a giant, spinning ball in outer space. Imagine a little toy ball that you can hold in your hand, but now imagine that it's way, way bigger than you could ever imagine, and it's actually a galaxy!
The galaxy is shaped a little differently than you might expect, though. Instead of being perfectly round like the toy ball, it's a little bit longer in one direction, like a football or an egg. That means that it's called "prolate" instead of "oblate" (which is what we call galaxies that are more like a round ball).
The galaxy is also spinning around and around in space, like a toy top that you spin on the ground. This spinning makes the stars in the galaxy move, too, and they all move in the same direction as the spinning galaxy, almost like they're riding a train or a merry-go-round.
Scientists study prolate rotator galaxies to learn more about how galaxies are formed and how they move in space. But even if you're not a scientist, it's pretty cool to imagine this giant, spinning ball out there in the universe, full of stars and planets and all sorts of mysterious things!
The galaxy is shaped a little differently than you might expect, though. Instead of being perfectly round like the toy ball, it's a little bit longer in one direction, like a football or an egg. That means that it's called "prolate" instead of "oblate" (which is what we call galaxies that are more like a round ball).
The galaxy is also spinning around and around in space, like a toy top that you spin on the ground. This spinning makes the stars in the galaxy move, too, and they all move in the same direction as the spinning galaxy, almost like they're riding a train or a merry-go-round.
Scientists study prolate rotator galaxies to learn more about how galaxies are formed and how they move in space. But even if you're not a scientist, it's pretty cool to imagine this giant, spinning ball out there in the universe, full of stars and planets and all sorts of mysterious things!