TFNR - Cosmic structures - Revision history

Paolo at 16:12, 18 January 2026

2026-01-18T16:12:36Z

Paolo: /* Dynamics and Interactions */

2026-01-17T17:43:29Z

‎Dynamics and Interactions

Paolo: /* Formation */

2026-01-17T17:42:05Z

‎Formation

Paolo: /* Structure */

2026-01-17T17:41:04Z

‎Structure

Paolo at 18:08, 15 January 2026

2026-01-15T18:08:56Z

Show changes

Paolo: /* Classification */

2026-01-15T17:33:45Z

‎Classification

Paolo: /* Structure */

2026-01-15T17:33:30Z

‎Structure

Paolo: /* Classification */

2026-01-15T17:33:17Z

‎Classification

Paolo: /* In conclusion */

2025-07-19T16:13:14Z

‎In conclusion

Paolo: /* In conclusion */

2025-07-19T16:11:30Z

‎In conclusion

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 **'''Magnetic Fields'''
 ***Galaxies possess large-scale magnetic fields that influence cosmic-ray propagation and interstellar matter dynamics.
-***Typically measured in microgauss <!--no latex-->(µG)<!--/no latex --><!--latex:($\mu$G)-->, with spiral galaxies exhibiting structured magnetic field patterns along their arms.
+***Typically measured in microgauss <!--no latex-->(µG)<!--/no latex--><!--latex:($\mu$G)-->, with spiral galaxies exhibiting structured magnetic field patterns along their arms.
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 **'''Magnetic Fields'''
 ***Galaxies possess large-scale magnetic fields that influence cosmic-ray propagation and interstellar Matter dynamics.
-***Typically measured in microgauss <!--no latex-->(µG)<!--/no latex --><!--latex:($\mu$G)-->, with spiral galaxies exhibiting structured magnetic field patterns along their arms.
+***Typically measured in microgauss <!--no latex-->(µG)<!--/no latex--><!--latex:($\mu$G)-->, with spiral galaxies exhibiting structured magnetic field patterns along their arms.
 ***Magnetic fields affect star formation, gas flow, and interactions between galaxies.
 *'''Photometric Parameters'''

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 *'''Density Waves''' - Spiral arms are not rigid / fixed structures. Instead, they are regions of increased density—waves in which gas and stars slow down and compress. This compression triggers star formation, leading to spirals rich with young, luminous stars. These density waves reflect the turbulent dynamics of the underlying Dark Matter Halo, which constitutes the dominant Mass component of the galaxy.
 *'''Galactic differential rotation''' - The inner regions of a spiral galaxy rotate faster than the outer ones. However, the persistence of spiral structures is due not only to the complex gravitational interactions between stars and gas, but also to a sort of rotation like that of a solid body, created by gravitational interactions with the Dark Halo that envelops and supports all the visible matter in the galaxy.
-*'''Interactions with Dark Matter''' – Dark Matter exerts a stabilizing gravitational influence on the visible galaxy, maintaining its rotation pattern and preventing stars and gas from dispersing over time. Its presence is inferred from deviations in rotation curves and gravitational lensing studies.
+*'''Interactions with Dark Matter''' - Dark Matter exerts a stabilizing gravitational influence on the visible galaxy, maintaining its rotation pattern and preventing stars and gas from dispersing over time. Its presence is inferred from deviations in rotation curves and gravitational lensing studies.
 *'''Gas Flows and Star Formation''' - Interstellar gas flows through the galaxy and is drawn into spiral arms through gravitational perturbations and resonance effects, so to speak, guided by the ripples of the dark turbulence. These regions become sites of active star formation, contributing to the vibrant structure of the galaxy.
 *'''Central Supermassive Black Hole''' - Most spiral galaxies host a supermassive black hole at their core. This object strongly influences local dynamics through gravitational interactions, and may generate energetic phenomena such as accretion disks and relativistic jets.

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 As matter accumulated within the gravitational wells formed by Dark Matter structures, '''vast clouds of gas began to cool and condense'''. This cooling allowed the gas to collapse under its own gravity, leading to '''the ignition of nuclear fusion in the first stars'''. These stars, formed in dense clusters within young galaxies, illuminated the dark universe.
-Over time, '''successive generations of stars enriched the interstellar medium with heavier elements''' forged in their fiery cores, further shaping the galaxies’ chemical composition and structure. Over billions of years, '''galaxies evolve as stars form, die, and enrich their surroundings'''. Spiral galaxies maintain their structure through ongoing star formation, while elliptical galaxies tend to host older stars and contain less gas.
+Over time, '''successive generations of stars enriched the interstellar medium with heavier elements''' forged in their fiery cores, further shaping the galaxies' chemical composition and structure. Over billions of years, '''galaxies evolve as stars form, die, and enrich their surroundings'''. Spiral galaxies maintain their structure through ongoing star formation, while elliptical galaxies tend to host older stars and contain less gas.
 </blockquote>

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 *'''Ordinary (visible) components'''
 **'''Gas and Dust Components''' - Clouds of gas and dust where new stars are forming. Unlike spiral galaxies, elliptical galaxies contain little gas and dust, limiting new star formation.
-***Interstellar Medium (ISM) – The gas and dust spread throughout a galaxy, essential for star formation.
+***Interstellar Medium (ISM) - The gas and dust spread throughout a galaxy, essential for star formation.
 ***Molecular Clouds - Dense regions where new stars form.
 ***Ionized Gas Regions - Found in active galaxies, often influenced by black hole activity.

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 Depending on their '''shape, structure, and dynamics''', we can identify the following types of galaxies:
-*'''Spiral''' galaxies ' Characterized by rotating spiral arms of stars, gas and dust, extending from a central bulge. The Milky Way and Andromeda are clear examples. These galaxies often contain both young and old stars, with active star-forming regions in the arms.
+*'''Spiral''' galaxies - Characterized by rotating spiral arms of stars, gas and dust, extending from a central bulge. The Milky Way and Andromeda are clear examples. These galaxies often contain both young and old stars, with active star-forming regions in the arms.
-*'''Elliptical''' galaxies ' More spherical or elongated, smooth, round, or oval-shaped, and lacking spiral arms. They contain older stars and have very little gas and dust.
+*'''Elliptical''' galaxies - More spherical or elongated, smooth, round, or oval-shaped, and lacking spiral arms. They contain older stars and have very little gas and dust.
-*'''Irregular''' galaxies ' Chaotic in appearance, with no defined shape. Often formed or influenced by gravitational interactions, mergers, or collisions. They contain both young and old stars and are sometimes rich in star-forming regions.
+*'''Irregular''' galaxies - Chaotic in appearance, with no defined shape. Often formed or influenced by gravitational interactions, mergers, or collisions. They contain both young and old stars and are sometimes rich in star-forming regions.
-*'''Lenticular''' galaxies ' They possess a disk structure but lack prominent spiral arms. Mostly composed of older stars, with limited amounts of gas and dust. Often considered transitional forms in galactic evolution.
+*'''Lenticular''' galaxies - They possess a disk structure but lack prominent spiral arms. Mostly composed of older stars, with limited amounts of gas and dust. Often considered transitional forms in galactic evolution.
 Each type of galaxy has '''a unique formation history and evolves differently''', contributing in distinct ways to the structure and dynamics of the Universe.

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 ==== Structure ====
-Let’s take '''a look at the structure of a typical galaxy'''. We must think of a galaxy as '''a complex system, formed by a rotating bubble'''—not necessarily a perfect sphere—whose real shape is determined by internal turbulent dynamics, but above all by the external environment: interaction with other galactic bubbles, gravitational and magnetic effects within groups of galaxies, and more generally, turbulent dynamics within the cluster to which it belongs. This bubble is '''internally constituted by Dark Matter and bounded by Dark Energy''', and—normally, though not necessarily—contains Ordinary Matter of various kinds and differently aggregated. All components are characterized by '''variously turbulent dynamics''', with Ordinary Matter and Energy entering and exiting (e.m. radiation, particles, gas, dust, stellar bodies, black holes, etc.).
+Let's take '''a look at the structure of a typical galaxy'''. We must think of a galaxy as '''a complex system, formed by a rotating bubble'''—not necessarily a perfect sphere—whose real shape is determined by internal turbulent dynamics, but above all by the external environment: interaction with other galactic bubbles, gravitational and magnetic effects within groups of galaxies, and more generally, turbulent dynamics within the cluster to which it belongs. This bubble is '''internally constituted by Dark Matter and bounded by Dark Energy''', and—normally, though not necessarily—contains Ordinary Matter of various kinds and differently aggregated. All components are characterized by '''variously turbulent dynamics''', with Ordinary Matter and Energy entering and exiting (e.m. radiation, particles, gas, dust, stellar bodies, black holes, etc.).
 A rotating bubble, again '''not necessarily a perfect sphere''', shaped by both internal and external turbulence, and by the interaction with other galactic bubbles, by gravitational and magnetic effects within groups of galaxies and more generally by turbulent dynamics within the cluster of which it is part. And in this complex turbulent dynamic, in the border regions of the galactic bubble—where the prevailing Dark Energy of interacting bubbles overlaps and influences their mutual position and movement—we find: '''smaller bubbles that constitute the dark structure of satellite galaxies, of dwarf galaxies that "orbit" the central galaxy'''. These systems, in turn, orbit along complex trajectories within larger dark structures, forming more extensive galactic groups, clusters, clusters of clusters, and so on. '''Turbulence within turbulence'''. Nothing could be further from the poetic (or sacred) image of the perfect celestial spheres—mirrors of divine perfection.
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 [[File:Galaxy_Structure_3D_Components.png|800px|thumb|center|Galaxy Structure in 3D - Dark and Visible Components]]
 ====Physical quantities that describe structure, properties and dynamics of galaxies====

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 ==== In conclusion ====
-Galaxies are very fascinating structures, with various shapes, articulated structures and complex dynamics, in constant evolution.
+Galaxies are among the most fascinating cosmic structures—exhibiting a wide range of forms, intricate architectures, and complex dynamical behaviors—unfolding in a state of perpetual evolution.
 In brief, '''let's summarize the most defining aspects''':
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 *In simplified terms, a galaxy—especially a spiral galaxy—can be imagined as '''a colossal gravitational well''' that, through spiraling orbits and multiple evolutionary pathways, gradually directs galactic and extragalactic material toward the central SMBH (Supermassive Black Hole). There, matter is compacted and partially redistributed through radiation pressure, polar jets, intense magnetic fields, and gravitational forces.
 *'''Galaxy formation is a slow and intricate process''', far more gradual than commonly assumed. It is a process in which extragalactic materials—constantly generated in the friction zones of the Dark Cosmic Web (including giant voids, sheets / walls, filaments, and nodes with cluster and supercluster Halos)—enter galactic bubbles and, through gravitational, kinetic, chiral, and magnetic interactions, progressively coalesce into objects and celestial bodies as they descend—continuously and often chaotically—toward the galactic center.

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 Galaxies are very fascinating structures, with various shapes, articulated structures and complex dynamics, in constant evolution.
-In short, '''let's summarize the most characterizing aspects''':
+In brief, '''let's summarize the most defining aspects''':
-*'''what we can observe through telescopes is not the entire galaxy''', but only the part made of Ordinary (visible) Matter capable of emitting electromagnetic radiation,
+*'''What we observe through telescopes is not the entirety of a galaxy''', but only the portion composed of Ordinary (visible) Matter, which is capable of emitting electromagnetic radiation.
-*'''the preponderant part of the Mass / Energy and spatial extension of a galaxy is constituted by its Dark structure''' (Dark Matter and Energy,
+*'''The predominant part of a galaxy’s Mass / Energy and spatial extent consists of its Dark structure'''—a vast and elusive domain shaped by Dark Matter and Dark Energy.
-*to simplify a lot, a galaxy, especially a spiral galaxy, can be imagined as '''a gigantic gravitational well''', which in spiraling orbits and multiple evolutionary lines tends to carry the galactic and extragalactic materials that enter the galactic bubble towards the central SMBH, where it is compacted and partly redistributed by radiation pressure, polar jets, powerful magnetic fields and gravitational pushes,
+*In simplified terms, a galaxy—especially a spiral galaxy—can be imagined as '''a colossal gravitational well''' that, through spiraling orbits and multiple evolutionary pathways, gradually directs galactic and extragalactic material toward the central SMBH (Supermassive Black Hole). There, matter is compacted and partially redistributed through radiation pressure, polar jets, intense magnetic fields, and gravitational forces.
-*'''the formation of galaxies is a slow and complex process''', much slower than commonly believed. A process through which, extragalactic materials, which are incessantly formed in the friction areas of the dark cosmic web (giant voids, clusters and superclusters Halos, galactic Halos especially in the crowded nodes of the cosmic web, etc.), enter the galactic bubbles and through gravitational, kinetic, chiral and magnetic processes tend to progressively coagulate into objects and celestial bodies, in their incessant and tortuous descent towards the galactic center.
+*'''Galaxy formation is a slow and intricate process''', far more gradual than commonly assumed. It is a process in which extragalactic materials—constantly generated in the friction zones of the Dark Cosmic Web (including giant voids, sheets / walls, filaments, and nodes with cluster and supercluster Halos)—enter galactic bubbles and, through gravitational, kinetic, chiral, and magnetic interactions, progressively coalesce into objects and celestial bodies as they descend—continuously and often chaotically—toward the galactic center.