Grand design spiral galaxy

A grand design spiral galaxy is a spiral galaxy with prominent and well-defined continuous spiral arms, as opposed to multi-arm, patchy and flocculent spirals which have subtler structural features. The spiral arms of a grand design galaxy extend clearly around the galaxy, covering a significant portion of the galaxy's circumference. Theses spiral arms host lot of star formation making them home to an abundance of bright, hot and short lived massive stars.

As of 2002, approximately 10 percent of all currently known spiral galaxies are classified as grand design type spirals, including M51 (Whirlpool Galaxy), M74 (Phantom Galaxy), M81 (Bode’s Galaxy), M83 (Southern pinwheel galaxy), M101 (Pinwheel Galaxy), NGC 6946 (Firworks Galaxy) and IC 342 (The Hidden Galaxy).

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