Replies

To: MtnClimber

"Elliptical galaxies are massive, round and stopped forming stars long ago."

If they are round, why are they named 'elliptical'?

3 posted on 01/22/2018 3:54:37 PM PST by norwaypinesavage (The stone age didn't end because we ran out of stones.)

To: norwaypinesavage

I noticed that too. Some artifact of General Relativity, no doubt.

4 posted on 01/22/2018 3:58:19 PM PST by MtnClimber (For photos of Colorado scenery and wildlife, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)

To: norwaypinesavage

"If they are round, why are they named 'elliptical'?"

A circle is a special case of an ellipse.

7 posted on 01/22/2018 4:25:59 PM PST by mlo

To: norwaypinesavage

For that matter, eliptical galaxies are also not necessarily massive. Many of the small neighbors of the mliky way are eliptical.

9 posted on 01/22/2018 4:26:42 PM PST by dangus

To: norwaypinesavage

Most round ones not seen from the perpendicular appear as ellipses from earth.

11 posted on 01/22/2018 5:01:07 PM PST by lagrange point1 (Space is no longer the final frontier)

To: norwaypinesavage

Same reason one can call a square a rectangle...

21 posted on 01/23/2018 3:30:36 AM PST by trebb (I stopped picking on the mentally ill hypocrites who pose as conservatives......;-))

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