Galaxies classification

Keywords infrared - galaxy classification - interstellar dust - star formation - interacting... 

Two colors ([3.6] — [4.5] and [3.6] —[8.0]), as well as the 3.6 /xmbulge-to-disk-ratio, correlate well with traditional morphological type and hence can be regarded as a means of galaxy classification. 

The three broad classifications (elliptical, spiral and irregular) of star clusters that also cluster together to form the Local Group that contains the Milky Way and the Andromeda Galaxy, along with the Small and Large Magellanic Clouds... 

There are several bodies of information that feed into our understanding of stellar nucleosynthesis. We will start with a discussion of the classification of stars, their masses and mass distributions, and their lifetimes. From this information we can assess the relative importance of different types of stars to the nucleosynthesis of the elements in our solar system and in the galaxy. We will then discuss the life cycles of stars to give a framework for the discussion of nucleosynthesis processes. Next, we will review the nuclear pathways... 

The astrophysical problem of justifying on theoretical grounds the morphology of galaxies (spiral and eUiptical, with their different content in stars and gas), their chemical evolution (initial rapid enrichment of metals, i.e., any element heavier than hydrogen and helium), and, finally, the attempt to trace a classification based on different physical aspects of the evolution, has been tackled by employing the approach of cooperative systems. In these models a scenario is proposed where the large-scale dynamics are related to the local microscopic interactions. At the same time a macroscopic description (e.g., the interplay of various phases, the metallicity) is derived by means of few (stochastic) variables. 

Summary of Spitzer Results on Galaxy Morphology and Classification... 

The massive surveys both ground based as well as from space missions provide large number of stellar spectra covering distant components of Galaxy. To understand the complex evolutionary history of our Galaxy, rapid and accurate methods of stellar classification are necessary. A short review of the automated procedures are presented here. The most commonly used automated spectral classification methods are based on (a) Minimum Distance Method (MDM) (b) Gaussian Probability Method (GPM) (c) Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and (d) Artificial Neural Network (ANN). We chose to describe only two of them to introduce the automated approach of classification. 

Spectroscopy is the key to unlocking the information in starlight. Stellar spectra show a variety of absorption lines which allow a rapid classification of stars in a spectral sequence. This sequence reflects the variations in physical conditions (density, temperature, pressure, size, luminosity) between different stars. The strength of stellar absorption lines relative to the continuum can also be used in a simple way to determine the abundances of the elements in the stellar photosphere and thereby to probe the chemical evolution of the galaxy. Further, the precise wavelength position of spectral lines is a measure of the dynamics of stars and this has been used in recent years to establish the presence of a massive black hole in the centre of our galaxy and the presence of planets around other stars than the Sun. 

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