How to Shape a Spiral Galaxy | NASA

How to Shape a Spiral Galaxy | NASA

Spiral galaxies — like our own Milky Way — have circling arms filled with stars. But how do they get their iconic shape? Magnetic fields are forcing the M77 galaxy into a spiral, helping scientists understand how galaxies like ours take shape. Credits: NASA/SOFIA; NASA/JPL-Caltech/Roma Tre Univ.