Galaxies are vast collections containing billions of stars, planets, and massive clouds of gas, dust, and ice. Understanding galaxies is a key part of astronomy. One important tool for studying them is classification—grouping them into a few different categories.
There are more than 100 billion galaxies in the observable Universe, yet they can all be sorted by their shape into a small number of types.
This activity introduces the galaxy classification system used by astronomers. You will classify galaxies using real data from professional telescopes. Watching the video on this page is recommended to learn more about galaxy types and how astronomers group them.
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By the end of this resource, you will:
- Have classified galaxies using the Hubble Tuning Fork
- Know that galaxies come in a variety of shapes and sizes
- Be able to critique the Hubble Classification system
- Have evaluated the limitations of the Hubble Classification Scheme
To complete this resource, you will need:
- A copy of Hubble Tuning Fork Diagram
- The 'Classify Galaxies Cards - First Pack'
- The 'Classify Galaxies cards - Second Pack'
- The 'Classify Galaxies cards - Extended Pack'
- The 'Classify Galaxies - Answer Sheet'
- A printer