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On Thu, 20 Aug 1998, Eric wrote:
> My question is this: Has anyone studied the distribution of the spin
> orientations of spiral galaxies? Are they oriented about randomly or is
> there a preferred spin orientation, say, with respect to the orientation
> of the Milky Way?
This has been studied. A priori, astronomers would expect the spin axes
of galaxies to be randomly oriented, but if the universe has some total
spin (like our solar system), then you would expect some correlation
between rotation axes (like in our solar system). When astronomers look
at other galaxies, the average inclination angle is exactly 60 degrees,
which is exactly what you would get in a randomly-chosen sample of
angles. Thus, there is no correlation of spin between galaxies. Still,
astronomers are checking this all the time.
Interestingly enough, although our galaxy is rotating, the stars in the
galaxy seem to have no relation regarding their spin axes, which leads to
the conclusion (when combined with other data) that stars get their spin
from turbulence in the dust clouds from which they are born.
>
> Thanks again!
You're welcome!
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