Galaxies have various shapes. The two most common shapes of galaxies are elliptical and spiral. Some galaxies do not have any regular shape and are known as irregular galaxies. Our solar system belongs to the galaxy Milky Way that in India is known by the name ‘Akash Ganga’. It is spiral galaxy.
Our nearest galactic neighbour is Andromeda galaxy which is about 2 million light-years from us. This galaxy resembles our own galaxy in size and shape.
An elliptical galaxy looks like a partly flattened luminous sphere. Spiral galaxies have the shape of a flattened disc with a small spherical nucleus bulging out of the centre. The stars in a spiral galaxy are concentrated in the central nucleus and in the spiral arms radiating out from the centre.