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Galaxies

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Galaxy Formation

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Summary

Various classification schemes for galaxies are introduced, including the Hubble-de Vaucouleurs sequence, as well as other classes of galaxy: peculiar, interacting, starburst and active galaxies. Correlations among the populations of galaxies include the red and blue sequences, colour versus absolute magnitude, the light distribution in galaxies and the Sérsic Index. Correlations among their spectroscopic and gaseous properties include mean stellar age and concentration, the Faber–Jackson relation and the fundamental plane, luminosity-metallicity relations, the Tully-Fisher relation for spiral galaxies and the proportions of neutral and ionised gas along the Hubble sequence. Masses of galaxies and clusters can be derived from the virial theorem as applied to the rotation curves of spiral galaxies and the velocity dispersions of elliptical galaxies. The luminosity function of galaxies has a remarkably uniform shape, although the brightest galaxies in clusters are special cases. The luminosity functions for different classes of galaxy depend upon the galaxy environment. Mean mass-to-luminosity ratios for visible matter in the Universe are determined.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Detailed accounts of the discovery of active galactic nuclei and the compelling evidence that they are associated with the presence of supermassive black holes are contained in my book The Cosmic Century (2006) and in my contributions to the volume The Oxford Handbook of the History of Modern Cosmology (2019).

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    Malcolm S. Longair

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Longair, M.S. (2023). Galaxies. In: Galaxy Formation. Astronomy and Astrophysics Library. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-65891-8_3

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