Astronomy › Section T · Galaxies and quasars › Topic T.3
Properties of galaxies
How do you weigh a galaxy you can never visit? Orbits and Doppler shifts give its mass, and comparing that mass with the light it gives off reveals what kinds of stars it holds and how much dark matter hides around it.
In this topic
- Weighing with orbits
- Measuring a spiral's rotation
- Worked example: the mass of a spiral
- Weighing an elliptical
- A wide range of galaxies
- The mass-to-light ratio
- Worked example: a mass-to-light ratio
- Ratios by galaxy type
- Dark matter in galaxies
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Key takeaways
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