Elliptical Galaxy
Example: NGC 1132
A smooth, round to oval glow of mostly old stars, with little gas or dust and no spiral arms.
Key facts
- Shape
- Smooth round or oval glow
- Stars
- Mostly older stars
- Gas and dust
- Very little
- Example shown
- NGC 1132
- Example’s distance
- About 300 million light-years
About the Elliptical Galaxy
How to recognise it
Elliptical galaxies look like smooth, featureless balls or ovals of light, brightest in the middle. They have little gas and dust, so few new stars form, and their stars move in random directions rather than in a flat disc.
The example: NGC 1132
NGC 1132 is a giant elliptical galaxy about 300 million light-years away in the constellation Eridanus. Scientists think large ellipticals like this form when galaxies collide and merge.
Sources
Facts checked: 29 October 2026
