Where is the Solar System located within the Milky Way's disk structure?
Answer
Roughly two-thirds of the way out from the center in the Orion Spur or Local Arm
The position of our Solar System within the Milky Way galaxy is situated within the flat, rotating disk component. Specifically, we are not located in the densely packed central bulge, nor are we in the sparse halo. Instead, our location is described as being approximately two-thirds of the radial distance outward from the galactic center. This position places us within one of the minor spiral arms identified as the Orion Spur or the Local Arm. From this internal vantage point, looking towards the core reveals the dense band of light characteristic of the unresolved stellar populations nearer to the center.
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