Spiral galaxies form a class of galaxy originally described by Edwin Hubble in his 1936 work The Realm of the Nebulae and, as such, form part of the Hubble sequence. Most spiral galaxies consist of a flat, rotating disk containing stars, gas and dust, and a central concentration of stars known as the bulge. These are often surrounded by a much fainter halo of stars, many of which reside in globular clusters.
An example of a spiral galaxy, the Messier 77 (also known as NGC 1068)
Tuning-fork-style diagram of the Hubble sequence
Barred spiral galaxy UGC 12158
NGC 1300 in infrared light
Galaxy morphological classification
Galaxy morphological classification is a system used by astronomers to divide galaxies into groups based on their visual appearance. There are several schemes in use by which galaxies can be classified according to their morphologies, the most famous being the Hubble sequence, devised by Edwin Hubble and later expanded by GĂ©rard de Vaucouleurs and Allan Sandage. However, galaxy classification and morphology are now largely done using computational methods and physical morphology.
Spiral galaxy UGC 12591 is classified as an S0/Sa galaxy.
The Hubble sequence throughout the universe's history
NGC 6782: a spiral galaxy (type SB(r)0/a) with three rings of different radii, as well as a bar.
NGC 7793: a spiral galaxy of type SA(s)d.