Astronomy

2009/2010 Topic: Galaxies

Galaxies
A galaxy is a gravitationally bound group of stars, dust and stellar remnants. In Astronomy, you will be tested over your knowledge of galaxies, various DSOs (deep sky objects), and mathematical relationships.

Galaxies are classified by the Hubble system as being either elliptical or spiral. Elliptical Galaxies are generally older and larger than spiral galaxies. Spiral galaxies consist of an inner core of old stars moving slowly and outer arms of faster moving younger stars.

This year's galaxies fall into two categories: normal galaxies, and starburst galaxies.

Normal Galaxies
The normal galaxies include the Milky Way Galaxy, the Andromeda Galaxy and the Triangulum Galaxy.

Starburst Galaxies
Starburst galaxies are typified by significantly greater levels of star formation than normal galaxies. They are often normal galaxies that have collided with each other, causing gravity ripples and star formation. The starburst galaxies in this year's DSOs include M82, M84, M101, the Cartwheel Galaxy, and C153.

Other Stars
Although the focus of this year's event is galaxies, many of the DSOs are other stellar objects including: M15 the globular cluster, Sag A* the black hole, Epsilon Aurigae the eclipsing binary, G1 the globular cluster, NGC 604 the stellar nursery, and M33 x-7 the x-ray binary.

This Year's DSO's
-*is part of a special viewing campaign this year and will be included up to at least 2011.
 * Milky Way Galaxy
 * 
 * M15
 * 
 * Epsilon Aurigae*
 * AAVSO: Epsilon Aurigae
 * Sag A*
 * 
 * Andromeda Galxy
 * 
 * G1
 * 
 * Triangulum Galaxy
 * 
 * M33 x-7
 * 
 * NGC 604
 * 
 * M82
 * 
 * M101
 * 
 * M84
 * 
 * Cartwheel Galaxy
 * 
 * C153
 * 

Useful Resources

 * American Association of Variable Star Observers
 * [[Media:Formula Sheet.pdf|Formula Sheet for Math Portion of Astronomy]]
 * Reach for the Stars for some sample pictures
 * Scioly Test Exchange