Our galaxy -Artist's view - Our galaxy, the Milky Way - Artwork - Representation of...

Our galaxy -Artist's view - Our galaxy, the Milky Way - Artwork - Representation of our galaxy, the lactee path, with the position of our Sun. Following observations made in infrared by the Spitzer space telescope, astronomers believe that our galaxy is a spiral galaxy consisting of two main arms (Scutum-Centaurus and Perseus) visible from the extremities of a large central bar. Two smaller arms (Norma and Sagittarius) are located between the main arms. The main arms contain the highest densities in stars, the other two are essentially gas. A new spiral arm, called the arm of the kiloparsec Far-3, runs along the bar of the galaxy. Our sun is close to a small interrupted arm called Orion's arm, located between the arms of Sagittarius and Persee. The Lactee Way was previously thought to have four main arms. 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 li