Figure 14-18Creation of Spiral and Elliptical Galaxies A galaxy begins as a huge cloud of primordial gas that collapses gravitationally. (a) If the rate of star birth is low, then much of the gas collapses to form a disk, and a spiral galaxy is created. (b) If the rate of star birth is high, then the gas is converted into stars before a disk can form, resulting in an elliptical galaxy.