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Scutum–Centaurus Arm

Galactic structure · Spiral-shaped regions of enhanced brightness within the galactic disc in spiral galaxies

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Scutum–Centaurus Arm
Picture: NASA and European Space Agency, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

About Scutum–Centaurus Arm

Scutum–Centaurus Arm is about 21,437 light-years from the Sun, so the light we see from it left about 21,437 years ago.

It is 14,577 light-years from the centre of the Milky Way.

The map lists it as a galactic structure and shows it among the stars around the Sun, drawn on the plane of the Milky Way.

Spiral arm traced by the parallaxes of masers in massive star-forming regions (Reid et al. 2019). Only the stretch they measured is drawn; the far side of the Galaxy is largely unmapped.

Key numbers

Distance21,437 light-years (6.57 kpc)
Distance from the Galactic centre14,577 light-years
Galactic coordinatesl = 32.53°, b = +0.00°
Pitch angle14.1° → 12.1°
Widthabout 460 pc

Where it is

Its place in the universe, from the inside out: Scutum–Centaurus Arm › Milky Way › Local Group › Virgo Supercluster › Laniakea Supercluster › Observable universe.

Zoom out to see it in context: Local Arm, a view about 12,000 light-years across.

From Wikipedia

Spiral arms are a defining feature of spiral galaxies. They manifest as spiral-shaped regions of enhanced brightness within the galactic disc. Typically, spiral galaxies exhibit two or more spiral arms. The collective configuration of these arms is referred to as the spiral pattern or spiral structure of the galaxy.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Spiral arm, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

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