The Milky Way Galaxy

Spitzer_ssc2008-10a1_1024

spitzer_ssc2008-10a1 June 3rd, 2008

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Hurt (SSC/Caltech)

Like early explorers mapping the continents of our globe, astronomers are busy charting the spiral structure of our galaxy, the Milky Way. Using infrared images from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, scientists have discovered that the Milky Way's elegant spiral structure is dominated by just two arms wrapping off the ends of a central bar of stars. Previously, our galaxy was thought to possess four major arms.

This artist's concept illustrates the new view of the Milky Way, along with other findings presented at the 212th American Astronomical Society meeting in St. Louis, Mo. The galaxy's two major arms (Scutum-Centaurus and Perseus) can be seen attached to the ends of a thick central bar, while the two now-demoted minor arms (Norma and Sagittarius) are less distinct and located between the major arms. The major arms consist of the highest densities of both young and old stars; the minor arms are primarily filled with gas and pockets of star-forming activity.

The artist's concept also includes a new spiral arm, called the "Far-3 kiloparsec arm," discovered via a radio-telescope survey of gas in the Milky Way. This arm is shorter than the two major arms and lies along the bar of the galaxy.

Our sun lies near a small, partial arm called the Orion Arm, or Orion Spur, located between the Sagittarius and Perseus arms.

Provider: Spitzer Space Telescope

Image Source: http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/images/1927-ssc2008-10a1-The-Milky-Way-Galaxy

Curator: Spitzer Space Telescope, Pasadena, CA, USA

Image Use Policy: Public Domain

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Image Details

Image Type
Artwork
Object Name
Milky Way
Subject - Milky Way
Galaxy > Type > Spiral
Galaxy > Type > Barred
Galaxy > Activity > Normal
Galaxy > Component > Spiral Arm
Spitzer_ssc2008-10a1_1280
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ID
ssc2008-10a1
Subject Category
B.5.1.1   B.5.1.2   B.5.3.1   B.5.4.7  
Subject Name
Milky Way
Credits
NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Hurt (SSC/Caltech)
Release Date
2008-06-03
Lightyears
Redshift
Reference Url
http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/images/1927-ssc2008-10a1-The-Milky-Way-Galaxy
Type
Artwork
Image Quality
Good
Distance Notes
Facility
Instrument
Color Assignment
Band
Bandpass
Central Wavelength
Start Time
Integration Time
Dataset ID
Notes
Coordinate Frame
Equinox
Reference Value
Reference Dimension
Reference Pixel
Scale
Rotation
Coordinate System Projection:
Quality
FITS Header
Notes
Creator (Curator)
Spitzer Space Telescope
URL
http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu
Name
Spitzer Space Telescope
Email
Telephone
Address
1200 E. California Blvd.
City
Pasadena
State/Province
CA
Postal Code
91125
Country
USA
Rights
Public Domain
Publisher
Spitzer Science Center
Publisher ID
spitzer
Resource ID
ssc2008-10a1.tif
Metadata Date
2012-02-02
Metadata Version
1.1
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Detailed color mapping information coming soon...

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