SESKStuff Everyone Should Know
SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/astro-sun-orion-spur

Where is the Sun within the Milky Way's spiral pattern?

The Sun lies in the Orion Spur.

Start playing free

  1. Inside the central bar
  2. In the Perseus Arm
  3. In the Orion Spur ✔

Why: The Sun is not in a major arm or the central bulge. It occupies a smaller feature, the Orion Spur, between larger spiral arms.

Huh, didn't know that: The Orion Spur is also called the Orion-Cygnus Arm.

The dad joke
The Sun chose a spur because the main arms were already full.
Like this card?
Play the game

References

Answer: In the Orion Spur. The Sun is not in a major arm or the central bulge. It occupies a smaller feature, the Orion Spur, between larger spiral arms.

  1. Spiral Structure openstax.org/books/astronomy-2e/pages/25-2-spiral-structure
    The Sun is located in the Orion Spur (also called the Orion-Cygnus Arm), which is a minor spiral arm located between two other arms.
    Checked 2026-10-10.

Think this answer is wrong? Tap "Challenge this answer" on the card in the game and tell us why.

Test yourself in the game

Astronomy & SpaceWhich element was found in the Sun's spectrum before it was found on Earth?Astronomy & SpaceHow long does sunlight take to cross one astronomical unit, the average Earth to Sun distance?Astronomy & SpaceWhat does the ecliptic trace on the celestial sphere?

That's stuff everyone should know.