How can you tell the difference between a spiral viewed from an angle and a cigar?
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by scrubs2009
Case in point
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by ElisabethB moderator
Hi scrubs2009 and welcome to the Zoo
That is a very good question ! ๐
Here, I'd say it is a disk or spiral seen edge on because of the pointy tips. Thar usually gives it away ! ;DHappy hunting !
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by scrubs2009 in response to ElisabethB's comment.
Thanks! Could you also assume that anything in which the center of the galexy is not distorted such as this
is a spiral
while ones where the center is distorted such as this
is a cigar?
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by JeanTate in response to scrubs2009's comment.
I think they're both spirals, or at least disk galaxies. In fact, I think almost all objects which are as 'out of round' as the second one are disk galaxies, viewed at a highly inclined angle, rather than ellipticals.
Hope this helps, and happy hunting! ๐
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