A flocculent spiral galaxy is a type of spiral galaxy. Unlike the well-defined spiral architecture of a grand design spiral galaxy, flocculent (meaning "flaky") 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]
The prototypical flocculent spiral is NGC 2841.[6]
Example | Class | Image | Constellation | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
NGC 1325 | SBbc | ![]() |
Eridanus | |
NGC 1353 | SBb | ![]() |
Eridanus | |
NGC 2775 | SA(r)ab | ![]() |
Cancer | [7] |
NGC 2841 | SA(r)b | ![]() |
Ursa Major | [6] |
NGC 3521 | SAB(rs)bc | ![]() |
Leo | [6] |
NGC 4298 | SA(rs)c | ![]() |
Coma Berenices | |
NGC 4414 | SA(rs)c | ![]() |
Coma Berenices | [8] |
NGC 7793 | SA(s)d | Sculptor | [6] | |
Sunflower Galaxy (Messier 63) |
SAB(rs)cd | ![]() |
Canes Venatici | [9] |
Galaxies | |
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Morphology |
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Structure |
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Active nuclei |
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Energetic galaxies |
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Low activity |
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Interaction |
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Lists |
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See also |
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