Flocculent spiral galaxy
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A flocculent spiral galaxy is a type of spiral galaxy, that is the functional opposite of the grand design spiral galaxy.[1] Unlike the well defined spiral architecture of a grand design galaxy, flocculent galaxies are patchy, with discontinuous spiral arms.[2] Approximately 30% of spirals are flocculent, 10% are grand design, and the rest are "multi-armed".[3] The "multiple arm" type is sometimes folded into the flocculent-type.[4]
The prototypical flocculent spiral is NGC 2841.[5]
Examples
| Example | Class | Image | Constellation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NGC 4414 | SA(rs)c |
|
Coma Berenices | [6] |
| NGC 2841 | SA(r)b | 
|
Ursa Major | [5] |
| NGC 7793 | SA(s)d | 
|
Sculptor | [5] |
| Pinwheel Galaxy (Messier 101) |
SAB(rs)cd | 
|
Ursa Major | [7] |
References
- ^ COSMOS - SAO Encyclopedia of Astronomy, "Grand Design Spiral" (accessed 23 April 2010)
- ^ COSMOS - SAO Encyclopedia of Astronomy, "Flocculent Spiral" (accessed 23 April 2010)
- ^ Case Western Reserve University, Chris Mihos, ASTR222 - Spring 2008, "Spiral Structure" (accessed 23 April 2010)
- ^ University of Virginia, Mark Whittle, ASTR 553/554 : Extragalactic Astronomy (2007), "Lecture 5: Spiral Galaxies" (accessed 23 April 2010)
- ^ a b c "A Near-Infrared Atlas of Spiral Galaxies", Debra Meloy Elmegreen, "CH3. Discussion" (accessed 23 April 2010)
- ^ APOD, "NGC 4414: A Flocculent Spiral Galaxy", 3 April 2002 (accessed 23 April 2010)
- ^ Spitzer/JPL/NASA, "The Pinwheel Galaxy, M101, in the Infrared", 07.21.08 (accessed 23 April 2010)
- PDF "A Near-Infrared Atlas of Spiral Galaxies", Debra Meloy Elmegreen, 1981, doi:10.1086/190757, Bibcode:1981ApJS...47..229E
External links
Look up flocculent spiral galaxy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
- COSMOS astronomy encyclopedia - Flocculent Spiral
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