A flocculent spiral galaxy is a type of spiral galaxy

Spiral galaxy

A spiral galaxy is a certain kind of galaxy originally described by Edwin Hubble in his 1936 work The Realm of the Nebulae and, as such, forms part of the Hubble sequence. Spiral galaxies consist of a flat, rotating disk containing stars, gas and dust, and a central concentration of stars known as...

, that is the functional opposite of the grand design spiral galaxy

Grand design spiral galaxy

A grand design spiral galaxy is a type of spiral galaxy with prominent and well-defined spiral arms, as opposed to multi-arm and flocculent spirals which have subtler structural features. The spiral arms of a grand design galaxy extend clearly around the galaxy through many radians and can be...

. Unlike the well defined spiral architecture of a grand design galaxy, flocculent galaxies are patchy, with discontinuous spiral arms. Approximately 30% of spirals are flocculent, 10% are grand design, and the rest are "multi-armed". The "multiple arm" type is sometimes folded into the flocculent-type.

The prototypical flocculent spiral is NGC 2841

NGC 2841

NGC 2841 is an inclined unbarred spiral galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major. Initially thought to be about 30 million light years distant, a 2001 Hubble Space Telescope survey of the galaxy's Cepheid variables determined that it was approximately 14.1 megaparsecs or 46 million light years distant...

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Examples

Example	Class	Image	Constellation	Notes
NGC 4414 NGC 4414 NGC 4414 is an unbarred spiral galaxy about 62 million light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices. It is a flocculent galaxy, with short segments of spiral structure but without the dramatic well-defined spiral arms of a grand design spiral...	SA Unbarred spiral galaxy An unbarred spiral galaxy is a type of spiral galaxy without a central bar, or one that is not a barred spiral galaxy. It is designated with an SA in the galaxy morphological classification scheme.The Sombrero Galaxy is an unbarred spiral galaxy.... (rs)c		Coma Berenices Coma Berenices Coma Berenices is a traditional asterism that has since been defined as one of the 88 modern constellations. It is located near Leo, to which it formerly belonged, and accommodates the North Galactic Pole...
NGC 2841 NGC 2841 NGC 2841 is an inclined unbarred spiral galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major. Initially thought to be about 30 million light years distant, a 2001 Hubble Space Telescope survey of the galaxy's Cepheid variables determined that it was approximately 14.1 megaparsecs or 46 million light years distant...	SA Unbarred spiral galaxy An unbarred spiral galaxy is a type of spiral galaxy without a central bar, or one that is not a barred spiral galaxy. It is designated with an SA in the galaxy morphological classification scheme.The Sombrero Galaxy is an unbarred spiral galaxy.... (r)b		Ursa Major Ursa Major Ursa Major , also known as the Great Bear, is a constellation visible throughout the year in most of the northern hemisphere. It can best be seen in April...
NGC 7793 NGC 7793 NGC 7793 is a spiral galaxy about 12.7 million light-years away in the constellation Sculptor. It was discovered in 1826 by James Dunlop.-Galaxy group information:...	SA Unbarred spiral galaxy An unbarred spiral galaxy is a type of spiral galaxy without a central bar, or one that is not a barred spiral galaxy. It is designated with an SA in the galaxy morphological classification scheme.The Sombrero Galaxy is an unbarred spiral galaxy.... (s)d		Sculptor
Pinwheel Galaxy Pinwheel Galaxy The Pinwheel Galaxy is a face-on spiral galaxy distanced 21 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major, first discovered by Pierre Méchain on March 27, 1781, and communicated to Charles Messier who verified its position for inclusion in the Messier Catalogue as one of its final...	SAB Intermediate spiral galaxy An intermediate spiral galaxy is a galaxy that is in between the classifications of a barred spiral galaxy and an unbarred spiral galaxy. It is designated as SAB in the galaxy morphological classification scheme.-Grades:... (rs)cd		Ursa Major Ursa Major Ursa Major , also known as the Great Bear, is a constellation visible throughout the year in most of the northern hemisphere. It can best be seen in April...

External links

• COSMOS astronomy encyclopedia - Flocculent Spiral