![A group of researchers at the International Centre for Radio Astronomy have discovered that “spinning speed” is the critical determinant of galaxy shape. They observed […]](/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/NEWSICON2-620x300.png "Battling the Bulge – Spinning Speed Determines “Flat” Galaxy Shape’")
A group of researchers at the International Centre for Radio Astronomy have discovered that “spinning speed” is the critical determinant of galaxy shape. They observed that flat and thin galaxies rotate faster than galaxies of equal mass which are bulging or near-spherical in shape.
The researchers looked at 16 galaxies which lie between 10 and 50 million light years away from Earth. A recent 10-fold improvement in our ability to determine galaxy spin speed helped the scientists to crack the puzzle of what determines the shape of a galaxy; a question which has intrigued physicists for the past century. Galaxies had previously been split into two groups depending on how large their central bulge was but the reason why was unclear until recently.
They observed that the shape of a galaxy is determined by both its mass and spin; faster rotating galaxies tend to be thinner and flatter due to the effects of centrifugal force on the elastic disc of the galaxy. The Milky Way, for example, is actually a relatively thin and flat galaxy; this can be seen in the night sky as a white band of more or less constant thickness. This finding could inform future attempts to explore outer space with probes and unmanned spacecraft.
