The Milky Way is an example of a spiral galaxy. In addition to shape, galaxies may be notable due to special properties, such as interacting with another galaxy, producing stars at an unusual rate, or having an active galactic nucleus. Shop Samsung Galaxy smartphones, from the latest foldable phones to everyday devices with Galaxy AI and innovative features. Find yours at Samsung US. Discover the latest in electronic & smart appliance technology with Samsung. Find the next big thing from smartphones & tablets to laptops & tvs & more. What Is a Galaxy? The Short Answer: A galaxy is a huge collection of gas, dust, and billions of stars and their solar systems, all held together by gravity. We live on a planet called Earth that is part of our solar system. But where is our solar system? It’s a small part of the Milky Way Galaxy. If you are new to Galaxy start here or consult our help resources. You can install your own Galaxy by following the tutorial and choose from thousands of tools from the Tool Shed. Galaxies are collections of stars, dust, gas, and dark matter, which are bound together by the gravitational attraction that results from their own mass. A small dwarf galaxy contains a few million stars, whilst the biggest known galaxies can contain up to a hundred trillion stars. A galaxy is a massive, gravitationally bound system. It contains stars, stellar remnants, interstellar gas and dust, and a vast reservoir of invisible material called dark matter. Galaxies consist of stars, planets, and vast clouds of gas and dust, all bound together by gravity. The largest contain trillions of stars and can be more than a million light-years across. The smallest can contain a few thousand stars and span just a few hundred light-years. A galaxy is a vast system of stars, gas, dust, stellar remnants, and dark matter held together by gravity. Galaxies contain everything from young, newly formed stars to ancient stellar populations, along with planetary systems, nebulae, and other astronomical objects. On the order of 100,000 galaxies make up the Local Supercluster, and about 51 galaxies are in the Local Group (see list of nearest galaxies for a complete list).