Which Types Are Most Common

Which type of galaxy is most common? This issue is a little confusing because the most common types are faint, so they are hard to see. About two-thirds of all galaxies observed appear to be spirals. But spirals are bright and easy to see, while dwarf ellipticals and most irregulars are hard to see.

Careful galaxy counts nearby suggest that 60 percent of all galaxies are elliptical (with most of these being faint dwarf ellipticals), 20 percent are spirals, and 20 percent are irregular (with most of these being faint dwarf irregulars). Therefore, nearby galaxy counts would suggest that most galaxies in the Universe are faint dwarf ellipticals or dwarf irregulars.