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In reply to the discussion: DU astronomers, a Milky Way question. [View all]DreamGypsy
(2,252 posts)20. A coincidence that you should ask this question today...we just got an upgrade...
...at least according to Alberto Sanna of the Max Planck Institute. Reported on Universe Today: Our Place in the Galactic Neighborhood Just Got an Upgrade
Some cultures used to say the Earth was the center of the Universe. But in a series of great demotions, as astronomer Carl Sagan put it in his book Pale Blue Dot, we found out that we are quite far from the center of anything. The Sun holds the prominent center position in the center of the Solar System, but our star is just average-sized, located in a pedestrian starry suburb a smaller galactic arm, far from the center of the Milky Way Galaxy.
But perhaps our suburb isnt as quiet or lowly as we thought. A new model examining the Milky Ways structure says our Local Arm of stars is more prominent than we believed.
Weve found there is not a lot of difference between our Local Arm and the other prominent arms of the Milky Way, which is in contrast what astronomers thought before, said researcher Alberto Sanna, of the Max-Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy, speaking today at the American Astronomical Societys annual meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana.
<snip>
As part of the BeSSeL Survey (Bar and Spiral Structure Legacy Survey) using the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA), astronomers are able to make more precise measurements of cosmic distances. The VLBA uses a network of 10 telescopes that work together to figure out how far away stars and other objects are.
<snip>
I would say yes, thats a nice conclusion to say we are more important, Sanna told Universe Today. But more importantly, we are now mapping the Milky Way and discovering how the Milky Might appear to an outside observer. We now know the Local Arm arm is something that an observer from afar would definitely notice!
But perhaps our suburb isnt as quiet or lowly as we thought. A new model examining the Milky Ways structure says our Local Arm of stars is more prominent than we believed.
Weve found there is not a lot of difference between our Local Arm and the other prominent arms of the Milky Way, which is in contrast what astronomers thought before, said researcher Alberto Sanna, of the Max-Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy, speaking today at the American Astronomical Societys annual meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana.
<snip>
As part of the BeSSeL Survey (Bar and Spiral Structure Legacy Survey) using the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA), astronomers are able to make more precise measurements of cosmic distances. The VLBA uses a network of 10 telescopes that work together to figure out how far away stars and other objects are.
<snip>
I would say yes, thats a nice conclusion to say we are more important, Sanna told Universe Today. But more importantly, we are now mapping the Milky Way and discovering how the Milky Might appear to an outside observer. We now know the Local Arm arm is something that an observer from afar would definitely notice!
Hmmm. Good and bad. Probably means the rent will be increasing substantially.
If you would like more details, you can get a preprint of the findings in the Astrophysical Journal here: On the Nature of the Local Spiral Arm of the Milky Way (42 pages, pdf)
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You are looking into the center. Which is blocked by a lot of star formation.
Gravitycollapse
Jun 2013
#38
What always gets me is that a lot of the stars we "see" are long dead and gone.
Tierra_y_Libertad
Jun 2013
#11
Ah, but to know that what you are viewing ocurred 2-4,000 years past does really
bettyellen
Jun 2013
#27
A coincidence that you should ask this question today...we just got an upgrade...
DreamGypsy
Jun 2013
#20
We are about 26,000 light yrs for the center and about 100,000 light yrs from the edge.
ladjf
Jun 2013
#21
We are viewing the galaxy from one of the spiral arms. The brightest spot is the center...
Gravitycollapse
Jun 2013
#36
A fine candy choice. Chocolate, caramel and something sort of fluffy yet solid.
DonRedwood
Jun 2013
#39