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Because we are in one of its arms, and it has a fairly flat profile, so we see into it edge-on. If the Solar System was somewhere off the galaxy's central plane it would appear as a vast sheet of hazy light rather than a narrow band, but we would still probably be too close and too oblique to it to see its spiral form.
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What is the shape of the galaxy you live on?
The shape of the Milky Way (our galaxy) is the shape of a spiral.
What is the meaning of the spiral galaxy?
It means the galaxy has the shape of a spiral. To see what this looks like, search Google Images (image.google.com) for examples.
Why astronomers see the spiral arms of the Andromeda galaxy more clearly than the spiral arms of the milky way galaxy?
Because quite simply, we can see the Andromeda in it's entirety - whereas we can't with the Milky Way
Why can astronomers see the spiral arm of the Andromeda galaxy more clearly than the spiral arms of the milky way galaxy?
It's to do with where you are trying to view from. We are inside the Milky Way Galaxy looking out whilst the Andromeda Galaxy is a distance and we are looking towards it. Imagine your are stood in a crowd of people it's difficult to work out the exact shape of the crowd however if you were in a helicopter looking down on it you could.
What is the milky way shaped like?
The milky way galaxy is a barred spiral shaped galaxy.
Why does the Milky Way galaxy NOT look like a spiral when viewed from Earth?
It does not look like a spiral because we are inside the disk that forms the spiral arms. To see the spiral, you have to be outside the galaxy, viewing the disk from above or below.
What is the milky way and where is it in the universe?
Earth is in the milky way the milky way is a galaxy, a spiral galaxy i think and its called the milky way because it looks like milk when you see it at night yo other people who will probably answer like a second after me -Alex
How can you see your own galaxy in the night sky?
the reason we can see the milky way in the night sky even though we are in it is because of its shape. i believe the milky way is a helical galaxy, which means that it has 'arms' that spiral outward, like a ninja star. from earth's position on one of these arms, we can see the arm beside the one we are on.
What galaxy does planet earth belongs to?
Our solar system is not far from the end of one of the spiral arms of the Milky Way. Our sun is about 26 or 27 thousand light years from the galactic center, and the galaxy is about 70 to 100 thousand light years across. See link for more information.See link for pictorial representation.
What is beyond the Milky Way Galaxy?
Empty space , maybe dark matter and dark energy. Then there are other galaxies (about 100 billion of them that we could see if we looked). A galaxy that is close to ours is Andromeda which may be similar in shape to the Milky Way (some recent research claims that the Milky was is not a spiral galaxy at all but a barred elliptical galaxy). Andromeda is about 2 million light years away.
Are there any other galaxies in the universe shaped like the milky way?
We believe that the Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy. Follow the link to see Hubble photos of other barred spiral galaxies.
What is the shape of the magellanic cloud?
The Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) is classed as an irregular galaxy and thus does not have any defined shape. It was once a barred spiral galaxy but has since been disrupted by the Milky Way. See related link for a pictorial so you can make your own mind up.
