New Images: Milky Way Loses Two Arms
Jeanna Bryner
Staff Writer
SPACE.com Tue Jun 3, 1:15 PM ETST. LOUIS — For decades, astronomers have pictured our galaxy as sporting four major, spiral arms, however new images effectively sever two appendages, revealing the Milky Way has just two major arms.
“We’re not proposing that they change the positions of the arms,” said Robert Benjamin of the University of Wisconsin, Whitewater. “What we’re proposing is a change in the emphasis of the arms.” Benjamin will present his team’s results today here at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS).
The results are among a handful of presentations at the meeting to paint an evolving picture of our galactic home base.
For instance, other results presented here this week suggest a completely new arm of stars wraps around one side of the galactic bulge. And another group has identified with more accuracy the location and relative distance of the spiral arms.
I didn't steal two of the Milky Way's arms
Sure, some of my space superweapons devour stars for energy, and have been on a feeding frenzy lately, but there hasn’t been enough of a chow time to wipe out two whole arms of a galaxy! It’s just a realignment by astronomers, honest! It is definitely not some sort of conspiracy to redesign the galaxy, working in tangent with the committees to reclassify Pluto as not a planet to drive down its real estate prices. So don’t be spreading any false rumors, or Dr. Mobusu will be hunting you down!