A flocculent spiral galaxy is a type of

spiral galaxy Spiral galaxies form a galaxy morphological classification, class of galaxy originally described by Edwin Hubble in his 1936 work ''The Realm of the Nebulae''

. Unlike the well-defined spiral architecture of a

grand design spiral galaxy A grand design spiral galaxy is a spiral galaxy with prominent and well-defined continuous spiral arms, as opposed to multi-arm, patchy and flocculent spirals which have subtler structural features. The spiral arms of a grand design galaxy exten ...

flocculent In colloidal chemistry, flocculation is a process by which colloidal particles come out of suspension to sediment in the form of floc or flake, either spontaneously or due to the addition of a clarifying agent. The action differs from precipita ...

(meaning "flaky") galaxies are patchy, with discontinuous

spiral arm Spiral arms are a defining feature of spiral galaxies. They manifest as spiral-shaped regions of enhanced brightness within the galactic disc. Typically, spiral galaxies exhibit two or more spiral arms. The collective configuration of these arms i ...

s. Self-propagating star formation is the apparent explanation for the structure of flocculent spirals. Approximately 30% of spirals are flocculent, 10% are grand design, and the rest are referred to as "multi-armed". The multiple-arm type is sometimes grouped into the flocculent category.University of Virginia, Mark Whittle, ''ASTR 553/554 : Extragalactic Astronomy (2007)''
"Lecture 5: Spiral Galaxies"
(Retrieved 23 April 2010). The prototypical flocculent spiral is

NGC 2841 NGC 2841 is an unbarred spiral galaxy in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Major. It was discovered on 9 March, 1788 by German-born astronomer William Herschel. J. L. E. Dreyer, the author of the ''New General Catalogue'', described ...

."A Near-Infrared Atlas of Spiral Galaxies", Debra Meloy Elmegreen
"CH3. Discussion"
(Retrieved 23 April 2010)

List of flocculent spiral galaxies

References

Sources

PDF
''A Near-Infrared Atlas of Spiral Galaxies'', Debra Meloy Elmegreen, 1981, ,

External links

* COSMOS astronomy encyclopedia �
Flocculent Spiral
{{DEFAULTSORT:Flocculent Spiral Galaxy * Galaxy morphological types