What the Milky Way lookslike

I've always been curious about one thing about the galaxy we live in. Okay, so we're all aware that the Milky Way is a spiral galaxy and Earth is in an outer spiral arm of the galaxy. Well, here's what I've always wondered. If we've never had a space craft leave the solar system, except Voyager 1 just recently, how do we know what the Milky Way looks like from the outside? Don't you think that could just be a pull it out of their anal cavity type situation? That's always just made me wonder and wonder and wonder.

reply to post by CrashUnderride


Well, if you stand up, and look down, you get an idea of your body shape. You look up, you don't see much of yourself. Looking around, you get a reasonable understanding of the dimensions of your body.

You don't need a mirror to know your eyes are not in your feet.

I guess it's the same method. We observe from our point of view, what we determine to be our galaxy.

We'll never see an photo of our galaxy from an external point of view. Ever.

reply to post by CrashUnderride


We know because we can see it.



Cool place

reply to post by gortex


We can only see a portion of it, for the rest we are making assumptions, using a combination of mathematics, measured radiation and known physics principles. In other words, it is our best guess.

reply to post by gortex


Wow! When you see that time lapse you really do get the feeling of floating about in space. Helps bring the scale of it all into some perspective.

Originally posted by winofiend
reply to post by CrashUnderride

 

Well, if you stand up, and look down, you get an idea of your body shape. You look up, you don't see much of yourself. Looking around, you get a reasonable understanding of the dimensions of your body.

You don't need a mirror to know your eyes are not in your feet.

I guess it's the same method. We observe from our point of view, what we determine to be our galaxy.

We'll never see an photo of our galaxy from an external point of view. Ever.

edit on 26-1-2013 by winofiend because: (no reason given)

Good point, but how would they know what type of galaxy it is? I mean, it could just a globby pancake for all we know. lol That's just my thought.

reply to post by CrashUnderride


I suppose that if astronomers plotted out the location of every star we knew about, that plotting would create a map of the Milky way, including its basic structure.

Having said that, astronomers today still are not quite sure about the exact structure and look of the Milky way. They know it is a spiral, and they know the spiral has arms, but they are not certain about the number of arms and/or spurs the may come off of those arms (although they have some pretty good educated guesses).

This may help .
How do we know the Milky Way is a spiral galaxy?

reply to post by gortex


Excellent link, Gortex. I had remembered seeing the radio astronomical map long ago, but I didn't know what search terms to use.

I think seeing what the Milky Way looks like would be like trying to see the top of your own head wirhout a mirror.

Originally posted by gortex
reply to post by CrashUnderride

 

We know because we can see it.

Cool place

If that is the Milky Way, why are we looking AT it?

Awesome pic and video.

Originally posted by Mugen
If that is the Milky Way, why are we looking AT it?

Awesome pic and video.

Because we are sitting almost on the edge of it.