Astr 5460     Wed., Oct. 22, 2003

The Milky Way (during the Leonid Meteor Shower)

The Importance of Cosmic Dust

The Structure of our Galaxy

Just How Did We Figure This Out???

To sort out size, structure, kinematics, other basic properties, we need:

The Andromeda Galaxy

M51:  The Whirlpool Galaxy

Galaxies

“Tuning Fork” Diagram

Spiral types

Elliptical Galaxy: M87
(OK, actually a cD, but similar)

Irregular Galaxies: Magellanic Clouds

Frequency of Galaxy Types

Frequency of Galaxy Types

Frequency of Galaxy Types

The Local Group of Galaxies

Interacting Galaxies: The Antennae

Interacting Galaxies: Cartwheel

For Next Time

The Nucleus of the Galaxy

A movie of stars at the core