So we’re not a spiral after all
by Doc on Aug.18, 2005, under Science
On the science fact side of things, recent research using the Spitzer Space Telescope peered into the Milky Way with an infrared eye, and discovered that our galaxy isn’t a pure spiral after all as long believed (and written in many text books), but rather it is a “barred” spiral, where a “bar” of stars passes through the core, and the arms of the spiral swirl off the bar instead of the traditional “whirlpool” with the core at the center. This isn’t unexpected news – its been suspected for several years.