What does seeing nebulae associated with the Sagittarius Arm imply about our observational viewpoint?
Answer
We are looking toward it, not surrounded by it
The ability to observe star clusters and nebulas associated with the Sagittarius Arm confirms our positional relationship to that structure. Since we are located in the Orion Spur, features belonging to the Sagittarius Arm appear as objects that we are looking toward across the expanse of the galactic disk, rather than objects that surround us. If we were truly situated within the Sagittarius Arm, our visual experience would be dominated by foreground structures originating from that arm itself, appearing as part of our immediate surroundings.
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