First 'bone' of the Milky Way identified
Tuesday, January 8, 2013 - 16:30
in Astronomy & Space
Our Milky Way is a spiral galaxy -- a pinwheel-shaped collection of stars, gas and dust. It has a central bar and two major spiral arms that wrap around its disk. Since we view the Milky Way from the inside, its exact structure is difficult to determine. Astronomers have identified a new structure in the Milky Way: a long tendril of dust and gas that they are calling a "bone."