Spiral galaxies |
Elliptical galaxies |
Irregular galaxies |
 |
 |
 |
| Huge; contain stars, gas, and dust |
Huge; contain stars, gas, and dust |
Huge; contain stars, gas, and dust |
| Held together by gravity |
Held together by gravity |
Held together by gravity |
| Pinwheel shape (see top view of Spiral 1, above) |
Round-to-oval shape |
No regular shape |
| Bulge and thin disk; halo is present (see side
view of Spiral 2, above) |
Bulge but no disk; halo is present |
May show signs of a disk and/or a bulge; halo
is present |
| Rich in gas and dust |
Little cool gas and dust |
Usually rich in gas and dust |
| Young and old stars are present |
Mainly old stars are present |
Young and old stars are present |