Spiral galaxies are classified into two groups: ordinary galaxies and barred spirals. Ordinary galaxies are designated by the capital letter "S" and barred by "SB". These two groups are further subdivided into a, b, and c, depending on how tightly the spiral arms are wound around the nucleus, "a" being tightly wound and "c" loosely wound. The Whirlpool galaxy, or M51 is considered a type Sa galaxy. The galaxy, M-109 is considered a barred spiral or SB. Our own galaxy, the Milky Way, is an Sb/Sc type galaxy, but is being re-examined and might be considered a barred spiral.

The next type of galaxy classification is the Elliptical galaxy. Elliptical galaxies tend to be shaped like footballs or spheres. Ellipticals range from E0 to E7, depending on how they are tilted or elliptical. Most of the galaxies in existence are ellipticals, however the majority of galaxies cataloged as of today are spirals. Of the sky's brightest galaxies, large ellipticals, such as M84 and M86 in Virgo, ellipticals make up only about 20%.

The last classification of galaxies, are the irregular galaxies. Hubble found that certain galaxies did not fit the categories previously mentioned, nor did they exhibit other common characteristics. The Magellanic Clouds are classified as irregular galaxies.

So, the next time you look in your favorite periodical and are studying those elusive galaxies, like me, you will have a basic understanding of what galaxies look like and how they are classified.