
Galaxy - Wikipedia
A galaxy is a system of stars, stellar remnants, interstellar gas, dust, and dark matter bound together by gravity. [1][2] The word is derived from the Greek galaxias (γαλαξίας), literally …
Galaxy | Definition, Formation, Types, Properties, & Facts | Britannica
Nov 27, 2025 · A galaxy is any of the systems of stars and interstellar matter that make up the universe. Many such assemblages are so enormous that they contain hundreds of billions of …
Galaxies - NASA Science
May 2, 2025 · Galaxies consist of stars, planets, and vast clouds of gas and dust, all bound together by gravity. The largest contain trillions of stars and can be more than a million light …
Galaxy Formation and Evolution - Harvard–Smithsonian Center …
Galaxies are home to most of the stars in the universe, and they form the beads of the cosmic jewelry that defines structure on the largest scales. But galaxies haven’t always been around, …
What’s a galaxy? All you need to know - EarthSky
Mar 23, 2025 · A galaxy can contain hundreds of billions of stars and be many thousands of light-years across. Our own galaxy, the Milky Way, is around 100,000 light-years in diameter.
Galaxy - ESA/Hubble
A galaxy is a ensemble of stars, dust, gas and dark matter that are bound together by gravity. Galaxies contain anywhere between a few hundred million to a hundred trillion stars.
What is a Galaxy? - AMNH
Galaxies are titanic swarms of tens of millions to trillions of stars, orbiting around their common center of gravity. They also contain interstellar gas and dust. Galaxies show a range of shapes …
Types of Galaxies | Pictures, Facts, and Information
Nov 7, 2025 · Although these are the four main types, there are various types of galaxies, and they are classified by shape. A galaxy is a cluster of stars, gas, and dust that is kept together …
What is a galaxy? - BBC Sky at Night Magazine
Jan 18, 2024 · A galaxy is a concentration of millions or billions of stars, gas clouds and pockets of dust, all bound by gravity and swathed in a cocoon of mysterious dark matter.
What Is a Galaxy? | NASA Space Place – NASA Science for Kids
Sep 25, 2025 · What Is a Galaxy? The Short Answer: A galaxy is a huge collection of gas, dust, and billions of stars and their solar systems, all held together by gravity. We live on a planet …