
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 …
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? - sciencenewstoday.org
Mar 19, 2025 · The Basics: What Is a Galaxy, Really? At its core, a galaxy is a massive, gravitationally bound system consisting of stars, stellar remnants, interstellar gas, dust, and …
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
Galaxies are collections of stars, dust, gas, and dark matter, which are bound together by the gravitational attraction that results from their own mass. A small dwarf galaxy contains a few …
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 …
Galaxy - Elliptical, Spiral, Irregular | Britannica
Nov 27, 2025 · Learn about the three general types of galaxies: spiral, elliptical, and irregular. Almost all current systems of galaxy classification are outgrowths of the initial scheme …
Milky Way - Wikipedia
The Milky Way or Milky Way Galaxy[c] is the galaxy that includes the Solar System, with the name describing the galaxy's appearance from Earth: a hazy band of light seen in the night sky …