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Barred spiral galaxy
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A barred spiral galaxy is a spiral galaxy with a central bar-shaped structure composed of stars. Bars are found in approximately half of all spiral galaxies. Bars generally affect both the motions of stars and interstellar gas within spiral galaxies and can affect spiral arms as well.
Edwin Hubble classified these types of spiral galaxies as "SB" ("Spiral", "Barred") in his Hubble sequence, and arranged them into three sub-categories based on how open the arms of the spiral are. SBa types feature tightly bound arms, while SBc types are at the other extreme and have loosely bound arms. SBb type galaxies lie in between. A fourth type, SBm, was subsequently created to describe somewhat irregular barred spirals, such as the Magellanic Cloud galaxies, which were once classified as irregular galaxies, but have since been found to contain barred spiral structures.
In 2005, observations by the Spitzer Space Telescope backed up previously collected evidence that suggested the Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy. Observations by radio telescopes had for years suggested our galaxy to be barred, but Spitzer's vision in the infrared region of the spectrum has provided a more definite calculation.
The barsBarred spiral galaxies are relatively common, with surveys showing that up to two-thirds of all spiral galaxies contain a bar. The current hypothesis is that the bar structure acts as a type of stellar nursery, fueling star birth at their centers. The bar is thought to act as a mechanism that channels gas inwards from the spiral arms through orbital resonance, in effect funneling the flow to create new stars. This process is also thought to explain why many barred spiral galaxies have active galactic nuclei, such as that seen in the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy.
The creation of the bar is generally thought to be the result of a density wave radiating from the center of the galaxy whose effects reshape the orbits of the inner stars. This effect builds over time to stars orbiting further out, which creates a self-perpetuating bar structure. Another possible cause of bar creation is tidal disruptions between galaxies.
Bars are thought to be a temporary phenomenon in the life of spiral galaxies, the bar structure decaying over time, transforming the galaxy from a barred spiral to a "regular" spiral pattern. Past a certain size the accumulated mass of the bar compromises the stability of the overall bar structure. Barred spiral galaxies with high mass accumulated in their center tend to have short, stubby bars.
Since so many spiral galaxies have a bar structure, it is likely that it is a recurring phenomenon in spiral galaxy development.
The bulgesStudying the core of the Milky Way, scientists found out that the Milky Way's bulge was peanut-shaped. This led to the conclusion that all barred spiral galaxies have a peanut shaped bulge. When observing a distant spiral galaxy with a rotational axis perpendicular to the line of sight, or one that appears "edge-on" to the observer, the shape of the bulge can be easily observed, and therefore quickly classified as either a barred spiral or a regular spiral. Galaxy NGC 4565 has been classified as a unbarred spiral galaxy using this method.
Examples
See also
External links- Britt, Robert Roy. 16 August, 2005.
- An article about the Spitzer Space Telescope's Milky Way discovery
- Devitt, Terry. 16 August, 2005.
- SPACE.com staff writers. 2 March, 2001.
- Hastings, George and Jane Hastings. , 1995.
- Buta, Ronald, D. A. Crocker, and G. G. Byrd. January 15, 2000.
- A press release concerning NGC 1326
- Sky & Telescope April 2002.
- November 29, 2001.
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