Knowra Galactic bulge Galactic bulge A galactic bulge is a dense, roughly spheroidal concentration of stars near a galaxy’s center. It may also contain gas and dust and surround a supermassive black hole.
Galaxy : A gravitationally bound system of stars, gas, dust, dark matter, and stellar remnants. The bulge is one structural component within a galaxy.
Stellar dynamics : The study of how stars move under gravity in a stellar system. Bulge shape and support depend on the collective motions of its stars.
Classical bulge : A centrally concentrated, spheroidal galactic component with stellar motions and structure resembling elliptical galaxies. This bulge type is generally associated with early, violent assembly.
Milky Way : The barred spiral galaxy that contains the Solar System. Its central bulge includes a box-shaped, peanut-like structure.
Galactic disk : A flattened, rotating region of a galaxy that contains stars, gas, and dust. The disk surrounds the bulge in many spiral galaxies.
Galaxy formation : The processes by which galaxies assemble from matter and develop their structures. Bulges record processes that built and reshaped galaxies.
Pseudobulge : A central galactic component that retains disk-like structure or rotation and often forms through internal evolution. It contrasts with classical bulges in structure, motion, and likely formation history.
Galactic bar : An elongated structure of stars and gas crossing the centers of some spiral galaxies. The Milky Way’s bar is associated with its box-shaped central bulge.
Stellar population : A group of stars considered together by shared properties such as age, composition, or motion. Bulge stars can be distinguished from disk stars by their ages, chemistry, and orbits.
Secular evolution : Gradual galaxy change driven by internal processes rather than major external encounters. Bars and disk instabilities can redistribute material into central bulges.
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