Galaxy formation and evolution
area of study in astrophysics
In cosmology, the study of galaxy formation and evolution is concerned with the processes that formed a heterogeneous universe from a homogeneous beginning, the formation of the first galaxies, the way galaxies change over time, and the processes that have generated the variety of structures observed in nearby galaxies. Galaxy formation is hypothesized to occur from structure formation theories, as a result of tiny quantum fluctuations in the aftermath of the Big Bang. The simplest model in general agreement with observed phenomena is the Lambda-CDM model—that is, clustering and merging allows galaxies to accumulate mass, determining both their shape and structure. Hydrodynamics simulation, which simulates both baryons and dark matter, is widely used to study galaxy formation and evolution.
Commonly observed properties of galaxies
Because of the inability to conduct experiments in outer space, the only way to “test” theories and models of galaxy evolution is to compare them with observations. Explanations for how galaxies formed and evolved must be able to predict the observed properties and types of galaxies.
The galaxy classification scheme commonly known as the Tuning-Fork diagram has roots in work by James Jeans and John Henry Reynolds. Jeans (1919) and Reynolds (1920) established the E–S0–S morphological sequence. Edwin Hubble (1926) subsequently popularised and extended this framework, bifurcating the spiral branch to distinguish barred from unbarred spirals. Jeans (1928) then produced the Y-shaped diagram that encapsulated this sequence in visual form, later turned sideways to become the tuning fork..
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This entry incorporates text from “Galaxy formation and evolution” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.