Flocculent spiral galaxy

A flocculent spiral galaxy is a type of spiral galaxy. Unlike the well-defined spiral architecture of a grand design spiral galaxy, flocculent (meaning "fluffy") galaxies are patchy, with discontinuous spiral arms.[1][2] Self-propagating star formation is the apparent explanation for the structure of flocculent spirals.[3] Approximately 30% of spirals are flocculent, 10% are grand design, and the rest are referred to as "multi-armed".[4] The multiple-arm type is sometimes grouped into the flocculent category.[5]

NGC 2775, a prominent flocculent spiral galaxy

The prototypical flocculent spiral is NGC 2841.[6]

Examples
Example Class Image Constellation Notes
NGC 4414 SA(rs)c Coma Berenices [7]
NGC 2775 SA(r)ab Cancer [8]
NGC 2841 SA(r)b Ursa Major [6]
NGC 3521 SAB(rs)bc Leo [6]
NGC 4298 SA(rs)c Coma Berenices
NGC 7793 SA(s)d Sculptor [6]
Sunflower Galaxy
(Messier 63)		 SAB(rs)cd Canes Venatici [9]
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References
  1. COSMOS - SAO Encyclopedia of Astronomy, "Grand Design Spiral" (accessed 23 April 2010)
  2. COSMOS - SAO Encyclopedia of Astronomy, "Flocculent Spiral" (accessed 23 April 2010)
  3. Masters, Karen (September 2002), What is the Origin of Spiral Structure in Galaxies, archived from the original on 9 June 2007, retrieved 30 May 2007
  4. Case Western Reserve University, Chris Mihos, ASTR222 - Spring 2008, "Spiral Structure" (accessed 23 April 2010)
  5. University of Virginia, Mark Whittle, ASTR 553/554 : Extragalactic Astronomy (2007), "Lecture 5: Spiral Galaxies" Archived 7 July 2010 at the Wayback Machine (accessed 23 April 2010)
  6. "A Near-Infrared Atlas of Spiral Galaxies", Debra Meloy Elmegreen, "CH3. Discussion" (accessed 23 April 2010)
  7. Nemiroff, R.; Bonnell, J., eds. (3 April 2002). "NGC 4414: A Flocculent Spiral Galaxy". Astronomy Picture of the Day. NASA. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
  8. "Hubble Spots Feathered Spiral". NASA. 2 July 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  9. NASA (2015). . Retrieved Mar. 2, 2017

Sources
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