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Why do elliptical galaxies usually contain few bright young stars?
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Galaxy
The Whirlpool Galaxy (left), also known as M51, an Sc galaxy accompanied by a small irregular companion galaxy, NGC 5195 (right).
Elliptical galaxies typically lack bright, young stars because they are composed almost entirely of Population II stars, which are very old.12
Unlike spiral galaxies, which contain significant amounts of gas and dust necessary for ongoing star formation, elliptical galaxies generally lack the interstellar dust and gas required to create new stars. Because they lack these raw materials, they do not produce the short-lived, luminous O- and B-type stars that characterize younger stellar populations. Instead, the light from elliptical galaxies is dominated by older, evolved stars, particularly red giants.12