A group of stars, together with gas and dust, bound together by gravity.
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How did our galaxy gain its name?
From its appearance as a faint band of light (containing some darker patches) stretching across the sky.
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What are the Small and Large Magellanic Clouds (the SMC and LMC) examples of?
Satellite galaxies of the Milky Way.
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What is the disc of the Milky Way?
A circular area (roughly 30kpc wide and 1-2kpc thick) containing young stars, gas, dust and sites of star formation in four major spiral arms (including the Solar System) about 10kpc from the nucleus.
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What is the bulge of the Milky Way?
An area surrounding the nucleus, which astronomers believe to hold a massive black hole at its centre.
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What is the halo of the Milky Way?
A spherical distribution of globular clusters (dense groups of relatively old stars) about the galactic centre.
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Why can't the spiral arms of the Milky Way be observed?
They contain huge clouds of gas and dust that are opaque to visible light.
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How can the spiral arms of the Milky Way be detected?
By using radio telescopes to monitor radiowaves emitted by the electrons of hydrogen atoms.
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Other cards in this set
Card 2
Front
How did our galaxy gain its name?
Back
From its appearance as a faint band of light (containing some darker patches) stretching across the sky.
Card 3
Front
What are the Small and Large Magellanic Clouds (the SMC and LMC) examples of?
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