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magickingdl
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Why is our galaxy planar? Why isn't it spherical?
chroot said:Because it has rotational kinetic energy -- it's spinning.
tony873004 said:I think its more spherical than it looks. There's lots of dark matter in the halo.
Our galaxy, the Milky Way, is planar because it formed from a rotating disk of gas and dust. As the gas and dust collapsed under gravity, it began to rotate faster and flatten into a disk shape due to centrifugal force. This is a common occurrence in the formation of spiral galaxies.
The main factors that contribute to the planar shape of our galaxy include gravity, rotation, and gas dynamics. Gravity pulls the gas and dust inwards, while rotation and gas dynamics cause the material to flatten into a disk shape.
No, not all galaxies are planar. There are different types of galaxies, such as elliptical and irregular, which do not have a distinct disk shape. However, the majority of spiral galaxies, including our own, have a planar shape.
The planar shape of our galaxy has a significant impact on our view of the night sky. As we are located within the disk, we see a band of stars and dust known as the Milky Way. This band is composed of stars and gas clouds within our galaxy.
While the overall shape of our galaxy is stable, there is evidence that the disk may experience minor changes over time. For example, interactions with other galaxies or dark matter halos can cause the disk to warp or ripple. However, these changes are relatively small and do not significantly alter the overall planar shape of our galaxy.