Galaxy Sort Activity

We grouped the photos into five groups

1)      This group contains seven photos that are spiral galaxies as seen from “above” the galaxy. The last three are a subgroup of spiral galaxies that are bared.

a.      M101

b.      NGC 6946

c.       M81

d.      M51

e.      NGC 1073

f.        NGC 1365

g.      M 109

2)      This group contains single objects that look like just a single bright star.

a.      M87

b.      M59

c.       M32

3)      This group contains unusual looking galaxies that do not fit into a category.

a.      NGC 2146

b.      Arp 252

c.       M82

4)      This group contains galaxies with many stars. These are irregular galaxies that are clusters without organization.

a.      L101

b.      Large Magellanic Cloud

5)      This final group has galaxies that look brighter in the center. We can see the thickness but it could be that these belong in the first category and are just seen from a different angle.

a.      NGC 253

b.      NGC 4650 a

c.       M65

d.      M104

e.      NGC 4565

After the activity we learned that the tree categories that astronomers use are spiraled, bared spiraled and irregular.