Galactic astronomy

Galactic astronomy

Galactic astronomy is the study of our own Milky Way galaxy and all its contents. This is in contrast to extragalactic astronomy, which is the study of everything outside our galaxy, including all other galaxies.Galactic astronomy is that branch of astronomy which deals with the study of Milky Way galaxy and all its contents.

Galactic astronomy should not be confused with galaxy formation and evolution, which is the general study of galaxies, their formation, structure, components, dynamics, interactions, and the range of forms they take.

Our own Milky Way galaxy, where our solar system belongs, is in many ways the best studied galaxy, although important parts of it are obscured from view in visible wavelengths by regions of cosmic dust. The development of radio astronomy, infrared astronomy and submillimeter astronomy in the 20th Century allowed the gas and dust of the Milky Way to be mapped for the first time.

Subcategories

A standard set of subcategories is used by astronomical journals to split up the subject of Galactic Astronomy:
# abundances - the study of the location of elements heavier than helium
# bulge - the study of the bulge around the center of the Milky Way
# center - the study of the central region of the Milky Way
# disk - the study of the Milky Way disk (the plane upon which most galactic objects are aligned)
# evolution - the evolution of the Milky Way
# formation - the formation of the Milky Way
# fundamental parameters - the fundamental parameters of the Milky Way (mass, size etc)
# globular clusters - globular clusters within the Milky Way
# halo - the large halo around the Milky Way
# kinematics and dynamics - the motions of stars and clusters
# nucleus - the region around the black hole at the center of the Milky Way (Sagittarius A*)
# open clusters and associations - open clusters and associations of stars
# solar neighbourhood - nearby stars
# stellar content - numbers and types of stars in the Milky Way
# structure - the structure (spiral arms etc)

Stellar populations

* Globular clusters
* Open clusters

Interstellar medium

* Interstellar clouds

See also

* Galaxy
* Milky Way

External links

* [http://aanda.u-strasbg.fr:2002/articles/aas/full/1997/18/ds1364/ds1364.html Mapping the hydrogen gas in the Milky Way]
* [http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=3392 Mapping the dust in the centre of the Milky Way]
* [http://www.astrofind.net/ Search for Astronomy]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Astronomy — (from the Greek words astron (ἄστρον), star , and nomos (νόμος), law ) is the scientific study of celestial objects (such as stars, planets, comets, and galaxies) and phenomena that originate outside the Earth s atmosphere (such as the cosmic… …   Wikipedia

  • Galactic coordinate system — Artist s depiction of the Milky Way galaxy, showing the galactic longitude relative to the sun. The galactic coordinate system (GCS) is a celestial coordinate system which is centered on the Sun and is aligned with the apparent center of the… …   Wikipedia

  • Astronomy in medieval Islam — An 18th century Persian Astrolabe, kept at The Whipple Museum of the History of Science in Cambridge, England. Islamic astronomy or Arabic astronomy comprises the astronomical developments made in the Islamic world, particularly during the… …   Wikipedia

  • galactic — adjective a) related to the Milky Way galaxy The study of the Milky Way is called galactic astronomy. b) Relating to the galaxy or a galaxy. See Also: galaxy, extragalactic, intergalactic, intragalactic, transgalactic …   Wiktionary

  • Galactic Center (disambiguation) — Galactic Center may refer to* Galactic Center, the rotational center of the Milky Way galaxy * the series of books, Galactic Center Saga. * Bulge (astronomy), the center of galaxies in general …   Wikipedia

  • galactic — ► ADJECTIVE 1) relating to a galaxy or galaxies. 2) Astronomy measured relative to the galactic equator …   English terms dictionary

  • galactic halo — noun (astronomy) An aggregation of stars, globular clusters, dust and gas surrounding a galaxy • • • Main Entry: ↑galaxy …   Useful english dictionary

  • astronomy — /euh stron euh mee/, n. the science that deals with the material universe beyond the earth s atmosphere. [1175 1225; ME astronomie ( < AF) < L astronomia < Gk. See ASTRO , NOMY] * * * I Science dealing with the origin, evolution, composition,… …   Universalium

  • galactic coordinate — In astronomy, a galactic latitude or longitude, useful for describing the relative positions and motions of components of the Milky Way Galaxy. Galactic latitude is measured in degrees north or south of the plane of the Milky Way. Galactic… …   Universalium

  • Galactic Alignment — The galactic alignment can refer to several different astronomical and astrological phenomena. One common galactic alignment refers to an alignment between the December solstice sun with the equator of our galaxy, the Milky Way. The galactic… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”