Galaxies are massive gravitationally bound systems consisting of stars, gas, dust, and dark matter. They come in different shapes such as elliptical, spiral, and irregular. The word "galaxy" derives from the Greek word for the Milky Way galaxy, which was thought to have been formed from milk that sprayed from Hera's breast while she was nursing the infant Heracles. Major components of galaxies include stars, star clusters, interstellar gas and dust, supermassive black holes at their centers, and dark matter.