Wikipedia

Galactic astronomy

Artist's conception of the Milky Way

Galactic astronomy is the study of the Milky Way galaxy and all its contents. This is in contrast to extragalactic astronomy, which is the study of everything outside our galaxy, including all other galaxies.

Galactic astronomy should not be confused with galaxy formation and evolution, which is the general study of galaxies, their formation, structure, components, dynamics, interactions, and the range of forms they take.

The Milky Way galaxy, where the Solar System belongs, is in many ways the best studied galaxy, although important parts of it are obscured from view in visible wavelengths by regions of cosmic dust. The development of radio astronomy, infrared astronomy and submillimetre astronomy in the 20th Century allowed the gas and dust of the Milky Way to be mapped for the first time.

Subcategories

A standard set of subcategories is used by astronomical journals to split up the subject of Galactic Astronomy:[1]

  1. abundances – the study of the location of elements heavier than helium
  2. bulge – the study of the bulge around the center of the Milky Way
  3. center – the study of the central region of the Milky Way
  4. disk – the study of the Milky Way disk (the plane upon which most galactic objects are aligned)
  5. evolution – the evolution of the Milky Way
  6. formation – the formation of the Milky Way
  7. fundamental parameters – the fundamental parameters of the Milky Way (mass, size etc.)
  8. globular cluster – globular clusters within the Milky Way
  9. halo – the large halo around the Milky Way
  10. kinematics and dynamics – the motions of stars and clusters
  11. nucleus – the region around the black hole at the center of the Milky Way (Sagittarius A*)
  12. open clusters and associations – open clusters and associations of stars
  13. solar neighbourhood – nearby stars
  14. stellar content – numbers and types of stars in the Milky Way
  15. structure – the structure (spiral arms etc.)

Stellar populations

Interstellar medium

See also

References

  1. ^ "Galactic Astronomy - Subcategories | The English knowledge database". science-train.com. Archived from the original on 2017-12-22. Retrieved 2017-12-20.

External links

This article is copied from an article on Wikipedia® - the free encyclopedia created and edited by its online user community. The text was not checked or edited by anyone on our staff. Although the vast majority of Wikipedia® encyclopedia articles provide accurate and timely information, please do not assume the accuracy of any particular article. This article is distributed under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License.

Copyright © 2003-2025 Farlex, Inc Disclaimer
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.