elliptical galaxy

In astronomy, one of the main classes of galaxy in the Hubble classification, characterized by a featureless elliptical profile. Unlike spiral galaxies, elliptical galaxies have very little gas or dust and no stars have recently formed within them. They range greatly in size from giant ellipticals, which are often found at the centres of clusters of galaxies and may be strong radio sources, to tiny dwarf ellipticals, containing about a million stars, which are the most common galaxies of any type. More than 60% of known galaxies are elliptical.