A flocculent spiral galaxy is a type of spiral galaxy. Unlike the well-defined spiral architecture of a
grand design spiral galaxy
A grand design spiral galaxy is a type of spiral galaxy with prominent and well-defined spiral arms, as opposed to multi-arm and flocculent spirals which have subtler structural features. The spiral arms of a grand design galaxy extend clearly a ...
,
flocculent
Flocculation, in the field of chemistry, is a process by which colloidal particles come out of suspension to sediment under the form of floc or flake, either spontaneously or due to the addition of a clarifying agent. The action differs from pr ...
(meaning "flaky") galaxies are patchy, with discontinuous
spiral arm
Spiral galaxies form a class of galaxy originally described by Edwin Hubble in his 1936 work ''The Realm of the Nebulae''Self-propagating star formation is the apparent explanation for the structure of flocculent spirals. Approximately 30% of spirals are flocculent, 10% are grand design, and the rest are referred to as "multi-armed". The multiple-arm type is sometimes grouped into the flocculent category.University of Virginia, Mark Whittle, ''ASTR 553/554 : Extragalactic Astronomy (2007)'', "Lecture 5: Spiral Galaxies" (accessed 23 April 2010)
The prototypical flocculent spiral is
NGC 2841
NGC 2841 is an unbarred spiral galaxy in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Major. It was discovered on 9 March 1788 by German-born astronomer William Herschel. J. L. E. Dreyer, the author of the ''New General Catalogue'', described ...
."A Near-Infrared Atlas of Spiral Galaxies", Debra Meloy Elmegreen "CH3. Discussion" (accessed 23 April 2010)
List of flocculent spiral galaxies
References
Sources
PDF ''A Near-Infrared Atlas of Spiral Galaxies'', Debra Meloy Elmegreen, 1981, ,