Question #9959b
1 Answer
Jan 29, 2018
The rotation curve of a galaxy is the variation in the orbital circular velocity of stars or gas clouds at different distances from the center.
Explanation:
The manner in which the velocities vary with radius reflects the distribution of mass in the galaxy. See the following reference for equation details.
http://www.astro.cornell.edu/academics/courses/astro201/rotation_curves.htm