Thursday, July 23, 2026
Science

Astronomers are still trying to understand how a galaxy's spiral arms form

The Whirlpool galaxy (M51) is a classic grand spiral galaxy. It was the first object identified as a spiral, way back in 1845. At the time, it and other galaxies were considered spiral nebulae, since astronomers didn't know other galaxies existed. Edwin Hubble finally proved that there were other ga...

Astronomers are still trying to understand how a galaxy's spiral arms form
Image: Phys.org
The Whirlpool galaxy (M51) is a classic grand spiral galaxy. It was the first object identified as a spiral, way back in 1845. At the time, it and other galaxies were considered spiral nebulae, since astronomers didn't know other galaxies existed. Edwin Hubble finally proved that there were other galaxies in the early 1920s.

Originally published at Phys.org

The Morning Briefing

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Be the first to receive the latest news, market analysis and updates — delivered straight to your inbox.