spiral arm articles
What's in the Orion Arm?
The region our Solar System calls home within the colossal structure of the Milky Way galaxy is known formally as the Or...
How many arms does our galaxy have?
The Milky Way galaxy, our cosmic home, is classified as a barred spiral galaxy [^3]. While that classification tells us ...
How does star formation differ in elliptical and spiral galaxies?
The character of a galaxy, from its shape to the color of its light, is deeply tied to its history of star formation. Wh...
Is every galaxy a spiral?
The universe is populated by countless island universes, each containing billions of stars, and while the iconic, pinwhe...
How fast do spiral galaxies spin?
The sheer scale of spiral galaxies means that their component stars and gas clouds are moving at astonishing velocities,...
Which arm of the Milky Way is the sun in?
Our star, the Sun, and our entire planetary system are nestled within the vast structure of the Milky Way galaxy, and th...
Are we in the Orion Arm of the Milky Way?
The island of stars we inhabit, the Milky Way galaxy, is a grand, barred spiral structure, and yes, our local neighborho...
How far is the Perseus Arm from Earth?
The sheer scale of the Milky Way galaxy often makes precise measurements feel like an abstract exercise, especially when...
Is our Solar System in the Sagittarius Arm?
The question of exactly where our Sun and its planetary entourage reside within the vast expanse of the Milky Way galaxy...
What galaxy arm is Earth in?
Our cosmic address places the Sun, and by extension, Earth, within a specific, smaller feature of our massive home galax...
Is a spiral galaxy gas or dust?
A spiral galaxy is fundamentally a mixture of celestial components, not a simple choice between being only gas or only d...