List of galaxies facts for kids

List of galaxies and galaxy clusters.

Named galaxies

This is a list of galaxies that are well known by something other than an entry in a catalog or list, or a set of coordinates, or a systematic designation.

Galaxy	Constellation	Origin of name	Notes
Andromeda	Andromeda	Andromeda, which is shortened from "Andromeda Galaxy", gets its name from the area of the sky in which it appears, the constellation of Andromeda.	Andromeda is the closest big galaxy to the Milky Way and is expected to collide with the Milky Way around 4 billion years from now. The two will eventually merge into a single new galaxy called Milkomeda.
Black Eye Galaxy	Coma Berenices	It has a spectacular dark band of absorbing dust in front of the galaxy's bright nucleus, giving rise to its nicknames of the "Black Eye" or "Evil Eye" galaxy.
Bode's Galaxy	Ursa Major	Named for Johann Elert Bode who discovered this galaxy in 1774.
Cartwheel Galaxy	Sculptor	Its visual appearance is similar to that of a spoked cartwheel.
Cigar Galaxy	Ursa Major	Appears similar in shape to a cigar.
Comet Galaxy	Sculptor	This galaxy is named after its unusual appearance, looking like a comet.	The comet effect is caused by tidal stripping by its galaxy cluster, Abell 2667.
Cosmos Redshift 7	Sextans	The name of this galaxy is based on a redshift (z) measurement of nearly 7 (actually, z = 6.604).	Galaxy Cosmos Redshift 7 is reported to be the brightest of distant galaxies (z > 6) and to contain some of the earliest first stars (first generation; Population III) that produced the chemical elements needed for the later formation of planets and life as we know it.
Hoag's Object	Serpens Caput	This is named after Art Hoag, who discovered this ring galaxy.	It is of the subtype Hoag-type galaxy, and may in fact be a polar-ring galaxy with the ring in the plane of rotation of the central object.
Large Magellanic Cloud	Dorado/Mensa	Named after Ferdinand Magellan	This is the fourth largest galaxy in the Local Group, and forms a pair with the SMC, and from recent research, may not be part of the Milky Way system of satellites at all.
Small Magellanic Cloud	Tucana	Named after Ferdinand Magellan	This forms a pair with the LMC, and from recent research, may not be part of the Milky Way system of satellites at all.
Mayall's Object	Ursa Major	This is named after Nicholas Mayall, of the Lick Observatory, who discovered it.	Also called VV 32 and Arp 148, this is a very peculiar looking object, and is likely to be not one galaxy, but two galaxies undergoing a collision. Event in images is a spindle shape and a ring shape.
Milky Way	Sagittarius (centre)	The appearance from Earth of the galaxy – a band of light.	The galaxy containing the Sun and its Solar System, and therefore Earth.
Pinwheel Galaxy	Ursa Major	Similar in appearance to a pinwheel (toy).
Sombrero Galaxy	Virgo	Similar in appearance to a sombrero.
Sunflower Galaxy	Canes Venatici	Similar in appearance to a sunflower.
Tadpole Galaxy	Draco	The name comes from the resemblance of the galaxy to a tadpole.	This shape resulted from tidal interaction that drew out a long tidal tail.
Whirlpool Galaxy	Canes Venatici	From the whirlpool appearance this gravitationally disturbed galaxy exhibits.