Irregular Galaxies


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Related to Irregular Galaxies: Elliptical Galaxies, Spiral Galaxies
The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Irregular Galaxies

 

stellar systems that are distinguished from spiral or elliptical galaxies by their lack of orderly structure and their patchy shape. Sometimes irregular galaxies that are amorphous and have no clear form are encountered. These consist of stars and dust, whereas the majority of irregular galaxies also contain gas and a large number of very bright, hot blue giants. Clusters of the latter create the appearance of patchiness. There are irregular galaxies that have traces of spiral structure, in particular, the stellar systems closest to our galaxy, the Magellanic Clouds. Only a small number of galaxies are irregular.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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References in periodicals archive ?
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Bekki, "Stripping of nitrogen-rich AGB ejecta from interacting dwarf irregular galaxies," Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, vol.
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Garnett, "Nitrogen in irregular galaxies," The Astrophysical Journal, vol.363, pp.142-153, 1990.
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