Why does our galaxy have a spiral shape?

As you know, the visible universe hasabout 100 billion galaxies. Trying to somehow classify such a huge number of objects, the famous Edwin Hubble, after whom the space telescope was later named, developed a special classification in which the scientist identified several varieties of galaxies. Thus, elliptical, lenticular, irregular, and spiral structures “appeared” in the Universe, and one of the latter became the very place that allowed the living beings of our planet to appear and begin the long process of evolution. So why does our galaxy have a spiral shape and could this fact somehow affect the appearance in the Universe of a rational being - a person?

The Milky Way Galaxy has a regular spiral shape.

How did our galaxy appear?

Milky Way - an elegant spiral galaxy withlong sleeves. The question of the origin of the spiral form of our space house has long puzzled scientists who once decided to conduct large-scale observation of similar galaxies and the processes occurring in them. According to studies conducted using the stratospheric observatory of infrared astronomy in Bulgaria, the main reason for the appearance of a spiral shape in the galaxy is its magnetic fields. According to Dr. Enrique Lopez-Rodriguez, even though these forces are completely invisible, they can have a strong influence on the evolution of the newly formed galactic structure. So, according to materials published on phys.org, magnetic fields in a spiral galaxy are aligned with spiral arms over the entire area of ​​our Milky Way, which is approximately 24,000 light-years across. The gravitational forces that create the spiral shape of the galaxy strongly compress the magnetic field of the structure, thus starting the process of formation of the arms of a giant space formation.

See also: Black holes can interfere with star formation in dwarf galaxies

Milky Way from the surface of the earth

In order to confirm or denythe aforementioned theory of the formation of arms of spiral galaxies, scientists measured magnetic fields along similar spiral branches of the galaxy M77 or NGC 1068, which is located in the constellation Cetus at a distance of about 47 million light-years. In the center of the galaxy is a supermassive active black hole, which is almost twice as massive as Sagittarius A *, the main black hole of the Milky Way. The M77 vortex arms are filled with dust, gas, and regions of intense star formation, in which new stellar objects and structures appear continuously.

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Galactic infrared observations showwhat human eyes cannot see: the magnetic fields that surround spiral arms with newborn stars. Field detection supports the basic theory of how these arms take on the well-known shape: it is believed that the so-called “theory of density waves” can become the most fully describing theory of their formation. According to this hypothesis, gas, dust and stars in the arms are not fixed in place, like the blades on a fan. Instead, the material moves along a kind of leverage, while constantly being exposed to gravity, compressing matter like objects on a conveyor belt. The gravitational forces that created the spiral shape of the galaxy strongly compress its magnetic field, thereby supporting the theory of density waves. Could these gravitational forces in any way affect the emergence of the Earth and its diverse flora and fauna? Maybe. However, despite the fact that it was a spiral galaxy that once gave a chance to appear to modern man, some scientists believe that the Milky Way is not the friendliest place to live. By the way, you can read about this in this article.