Galaxy - Wikipedia
A galaxy is a system of stars, stellar remnants, interstellar gas, dust, and dark matter bound together by gravity. [1][2] The word is derived from the Greek galaxias (γαλαξίας), literally 'milky', a …
Galaxy | Definition, Formation, Types, Properties, & Facts ...
Jul 12, 2025 · What is a galaxy? A galaxy is any of the systems of stars and interstellar matter that make up the universe. Many such assemblages are so enormous that they contain hundreds of …
Galaxies - NASA Science
May 2, 2025 · Galaxies consist of stars, planets, and vast clouds of gas and dust, all bound together by gravity. The largest contain trillions of stars and can be more than a million light-years across. …
What Is a Galaxy? | NASA Space Place – NASA Science for Kids
Jul 2, 2025 · What Is a Galaxy? The Short Answer: A galaxy is a huge collection of gas, dust, and billions of stars and their solar systems, all held together by gravity. We live on a planet called …
What is a galaxy? - Live Science
Aug 25, 2021 · Galaxies are groups of stars and other space objects held together by gravity. There are more than 100 billion galaxies in the universe, each presenting beautiful structures that can …
Galaxies: Collisions, Types and How They're Made | Space
Jan 4, 2019 · Galaxies are composed of stars, dust and dark matter, all held together by gravity. Astronomers aren't certain exactly how galaxies formed. After the Big Bang, space was made up …
What Is a Galaxy? - Scientific American
May 9, 2025 · In modern times, though, we use “galaxy” more generically to refer to any large system of stars, gas, dust and dark matter, all held together by their mutual gravity.