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More specifically, when I look at the milky way am I seeing another arm of the galaxy or am I looking towards the center of the galaxy? I'm having a hard time finding a specific answer to this question. Thanks!
phy_infinite said:Thanks! Ok so I won't actually see the center of the galaxy, but are you saying that I actually am I looking towards the center of the galaxy?
phy_infinite said:...when I look at the milky way am I seeing another arm of the galaxy or am I looking towards the center of the galaxy? I'm having a hard time finding a specific answer to this question. Thanks!
Jimmy said:It depends on which part of the Milky Way you are observing. In the direction of Sagittarius lies the galactic center. If you were viewing the constellations of Taurus/Auriga, you would be looking in the opposite direction towards the edge of the galaxy.
Try using this map to orient yourself:
http://maps.nationalgeographic.com/maps/print-collection/milky-way.html
Jimmy said:It depends on which part of the Milky Way you are observing. In the direction of Sagittarius lies the galactic center. If you were viewing the constellations of Taurus/Auriga, you would be looking in the opposite direction towards the edge of the galaxy.
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davenn said:phy_infinite
the thing that stops us seeing the core of our galaxy isn't the distance, its all the dust and gas
that is between us and it.
We observe the core by the infrared light, gamma rays and X-rays that are emitted from it
we cannot see the visible light because of the intervening dust etc
Dave
phy_infinite said:I only want to know that when I look at the center of the white band in the sky, whether or not I am looking in the direction of the core of the galaxy.
phinds said:A few of the things you see are galaxies that are as much as 2 to 3 million light years away, but they are so small that they look like stars, I'm pretty sure.
glappkaeft said:Any galaxy that is small enough to be star sized is much too dim to be seen by the naked eye.
The Milky Way is a large spiral galaxy that contains our solar system and billions of other stars, planets, and other celestial objects. It is located in the Local Group of galaxies and is estimated to be around 13.51 billion years old.
The Milky Way appears as a band of light because we are viewing it edge-on from within the galaxy. The light we see is a combination of the light from billions of stars and interstellar dust and gas that make up the spiral arms of the galaxy.
Yes, the Milky Way can be seen from anywhere in the world as long as there is little light pollution and the sky is clear. However, the view may differ depending on your location in the world and the time of year.
It is estimated that there are between 100 billion to 400 billion stars in the Milky Way. However, recent studies suggest that there may be even more stars, possibly up to 1 trillion.
No, the Milky Way is just one of billions of galaxies in the observable universe. The exact number is unknown, but it is estimated that there are at least 2 trillion galaxies in the observable universe.