| astr. | blue compact dwarf galaxy | карликовая голубая компактная галактика (A blue compact dwarf galaxy (BCD) is the lowest luminosity type of starburst galaxy. It is a small galaxy, about one-tenth the size of a typical large spiral such as the Milky Way, that appears blue by virtue of containing large clusters of hot, massive stars, which ionize the surrounding interstellar gas with their intense ultraviolet radiation. These massive blue stars are very young by stellar standards – under ten million years or so old. They were created in a huge starburst, a violent episode of star formation that in some cases engulfs an entire galaxy.  daviddarling.info 'More) |