Galaxies have different shapes because of what happens throughout their lives. Any galaxy, at one point or another, will encounter another or many galaxies. When encounters occur, gravity takes over. The larger of the two galaxies will consume the smaller one, this is called galactic cannibalism. The act of absorbing another galaxy will change the size of the galaxy it's shape and even the speed of its rotation. Our own galaxy, The Milky Way, is as large it is (100000-150000 Light years across.) because of galactic cannibalism. The Milky Way is as we speak consuming two other small galaxy. And in about 2 billion years, our nearest nieghbor, the Andromeda Galaxy, will collide with our galaxy. Both the Milky Way and Adromeda galaxy are spiral galaxies, but after they collide the resulting new galaxy will an elliptical galaxy, which looks like a bright white sphere.
Galaxies can form different shapes including spiral, elliptical, and irregular. Spiral galaxies have a distinct spiral arm structure, elliptical galaxies are more rounded and oval-shaped, while irregular galaxies lack a defined shape.
Elliptical galaxies are massive blobs of stars characterized by their round or ellipsoidal shapes. These galaxies are composed mainly of older stars and have little to no ongoing star formation activity.
Nebulas are found in all types of galaxies, including spiral galaxies like the Milky Way, elliptical galaxies, and irregular galaxies. They are regions of dense dust and gas where new stars are formed. The variety of shapes and sizes of nebulas contribute to the diversity of galaxies in the universe.
Actually, most galaxies are all moving away from all other galaxies, not just from ours. The exception is the Andromeda galaxy, with which the Milky Way is on a collision course.
Yes, galaxies at very large distances can appear distorted due to gravitational lensing effects caused by the bending of light by massive objects. This distortion can elongate or warp the images of distant galaxies, altering their perceived shapes.