what is the shape of the milky way galaxy
Milky Way The Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy with a diameter between 100,000[26] and 180,000 light-years (ly).[27] It is estimated to contain 100â€“400 billion stars.[28][29] There are probably at least 100 billion planets in the Milky Way.[30][31] The Solar System is located within the disk, about 26,000 light-years from the Galactic Center, on the inner edge of the Orion Arm, one of the spiral-shaped concentrations of gas and dust. The stars in the innermost 10,000 light-years form a bulge and one or more bars that radiate from the bulge. The galactic center is an intense radio source known as Sagittarius A*, likely a supermassive black hole.