Name: Tamar C
Status: Other
Age: N/A
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: Prior to 1993
Question:
Why does the Milky Way spiral on a single plane? Why doesn't it
look more like a sphere?
Replies:
Good question! There are spherical (more accurately called
elliptical because they look more like a football than a basketball) galaxies
as well as spiral galaxies as well as irregular galaxies. Galaxy formation is
not a well understood process, but spirals probably result when the angular
momentum of the galactic proto-cloud exceeds some threshold. I do not know of
any theories explaining barred spirals which is what we now think is what the
Milky Way is.!)
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