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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/aero-milky-way-two-arms

Our Milky Way galaxy has what kind of shape?

A spiral, with two main arms coming off a central bar of stars.

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  1. An irregular blob
  2. A smooth elliptical oval
  3. A spiral with a bar in the middle ✔

Why: Infrared pictures from NASA's Spitzer telescope showed the Milky Way is a spiral. Two major arms wrap off the ends of a bar of stars in the center.

Huh, didn't know that: Astronomers used to think the Milky Way had four major arms until Spitzer data showed two.

The dad joke
Why did the Milky Way bring a candy bar to space? It already had a bar in the middle.
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References

Answer: A spiral with a bar in the middle. Infrared pictures from NASA's Spitzer telescope showed the Milky Way is a spiral. Two major arms wrap off the ends of a bar of stars in the center.

  1. NASA Science: The Milky Way Galaxy science.nasa.gov/resource/the-milky-way-galaxy
    the Milky Way's elegant spiral structure is dominated by just two arms wrapping off the ends of a central bar of stars.
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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