spiral galaxy
noun
: a galaxy exhibiting a central nucleus or barred structure from which extend curved arms of higher luminosity
called also spiral nebula
Examples of spiral galaxy in a Sentence
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The spiral galaxy is home to Earth and hundreds of billions of stars spanning more than 100,000 light-years, NASA said.
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Hannah Poukish, Sacbee.com, 19 May 2025
In a discovery that could reshape our understanding of how galaxies form and evolve, astronomers have identified the most distant spiral galaxy candidate ever observed—a vast, mature system that existed just one billion years after the Big Bang.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Apr. 2025
Discovery of an ultra-massive grand-design spiral galaxy at z ∼ 5.2
National Radio Astronomy Observatory.
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 16 Apr. 2025
The galaxy's rotation curve, an important characteristic of spiral galaxies, shows a pattern typical of flat rotation curves seen in mature galaxies.
—Larissa G. Capella, Space.com, 4 Apr. 2025
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Hannah Poukish, Sacbee.com, 19 May 2025
In a discovery that could reshape our understanding of how galaxies form and evolve, astronomers have identified the most distant spiral galaxy candidate ever observed—a vast, mature system that existed just one billion years after the Big Bang.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Apr. 2025
Discovery of an ultra-massive grand-design spiral galaxy at z ∼ 5.2
National Radio Astronomy Observatory.
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 16 Apr. 2025
The galaxy's rotation curve, an important characteristic of spiral galaxies, shows a pattern typical of flat rotation curves seen in mature galaxies.
—Larissa G. Capella, Space.com, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spiral galaxy
Cite this Entry
“Spiral galaxy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spiral%20galaxy. Accessed 28 May. 2025.
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