Cosmos vs. Galaxy — What's the Difference?

The universe regarded as a complex and orderly system.

Any of the collections of stellar bodies that form the universe.

The entire world of space and time and all its phenomena.

Used metaphorically to represent a "universe" of something.

An orderly or harmonious system.

Derived from the Greek 'galaxias' meaning "milky", a reference to the Milky Way.

The opposite of chaos.

A splendid assembly or array.

A system of thought.

A galaxy is a gravitationally bound system of stars, stellar remnants, interstellar gas, dust, and dark matter. The word galaxy is derived from the Greek galaxias (γαλαξίας), literally "milky", a reference to the Milky Way.

The cosmos (UK: , US: ) is the Universe. Using the word cosmos rather than the word universe implies viewing the universe as a complex and orderly system or entity; the opposite of chaos.

A system of millions or billions of stars, together with gas and dust, held together by gravitational attraction.

The universe regarded as an orderly, harmonious whole.

Any of numerous large-scale aggregates of stars, gas, and dust that constitute the universe, containing an average of 100 billion (1011) solar masses and ranging in diameter from 1,500 to 300,000 light-years.

An ordered, harmonious whole.

Often Galaxy The Milky Way.

Harmony and order as distinct from chaos.

An assembly of brilliant, glamorous, or distinguished persons or things

Pl. cos·mos·es or cosmos Any of various mostly Mexican herbs of the genus Cosmos in the composite family, having radiate flower heads of variously colored flowers and opposite pinnate leaves, especially C. bipinnatus and C. sulphureus, widely cultivated as garden annuals.

The Milky Way; the apparent band of concentrated stars which appears in the night sky over earth.

The universe.

(galaxy) Any of the collections of many millions or billions of stars, galactic dust, black holes, etc. existing as independent and coherent systems, of which there are billions in the known universe.

An ordered, harmonious whole.

(figuratively) An assemblage of things or people seen as luminous or brilliant.

Any of various mostly Mexican herbs of the genus Cosmos having radiate heads of variously coloured flowers and pinnate leaves.

Any print or pattern reminiscent of a galaxy, generally consisting of blending, semiopaque patches of vibrant color on a dark background.

Plural of cosmo

To furnish with galaxies.

The universe or universality of created things; - so called from the order and harmony displayed in it.

(archaic) To gather together into a luminous whole.

The theory or description of the universe, as a system displaying order and harmony.

The Milky Way, that luminous tract, or belt, which is seen at night stretching across the heavens, and which is composed of innumerable stars, so distant and blended as to be distinguishable only with the telescope.

A genus of composite plants closely related to Bidens, usually with very showy flowers, some with yellow, others with red, scarlet, purple, white, or lilac rays. They are natives of the warmer parts of America, and many species are cultivated. Cosmos bipinnatus and Cosmos diversifolius are among the best-known species; Cosmos caudatus, of the West Indies, is widely naturalized.

A very large collection of stars comparable in size to the Milky Way system, held together by gravitational force and separated from other such star systems by large distances of mostly empty space. Galaxies vary widely in shape and size, the most common nearby galaxies being over 70,000 light years in diameter and separated from each other by even larger distances. The number of stars in one galaxy varies, and may extend into the hundreds of billions.

Everything that exists anywhere;

A splendid or impressive assemblage of persons or things; as, a galaxy of movie stars.

Any of various mostly Mexican herbs of the genus Cosmos having radiate heads of variously colored flowers and pinnate leaves; popular fall-blooming annuals

A splendid assemblage (especially of famous people)

Tufted evergreen perennial herb having spikes of tiny white flowers and glossy green round to heart-shaped leaves that become coppery to maroon or purplish in fall

(astronomy) a collection of star systems; any of the billions of systems each having many stars and nebulae and dust;

The cosmos refers to everything that can possibly exist including space, time, matter, and energy.

No, galaxies are integral parts of the cosmos and cannot exist outside of it.

A galaxy primarily consists of stars, dust, and gases all bound together by gravity.

A galaxy contains billions of stars and solar systems, while a solar system consists of a single star and its orbiting bodies.

Ultra-compact dwarf galaxies are among the smallest known, containing only a few billion stars.

The cosmos is infinitely larger as it encompasses all galaxies and everything else that exists.

The cosmos is studied through cosmology focusing on the universe as a whole, while galaxies are studied through astronomy focusing on specific systems.

By studying galaxies, scientists can infer the structure, evolution, and history of the universe.

Yes, astronomers continue to discover new galaxies as telescope technology improves.

Estimates suggest there may be over two trillion galaxies in the observable cosmos.

Most galaxies, including the Milky Way, have supermassive black holes at their centers that influence their dynamics and evolution.

IC 1101 is one of the largest known galaxies, stretching about 6 million light-years across.