Uploaded August 2019 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
This animation shows the structure of our home galaxy, the Milky Way. The flat disk containing the spiral arms is actually warped, distorted likely due to gravitational interactions with neighboring galaxies. This animation is based on observations of Cepheid variable stars, a special kind of star where the distance can be found accurately. The Sun's position is marked by the yellow "sun" symbol.
Credit: J. Skowron / OGLE / Astronomical Observatory, University of Warsaw
My blog post with more more info: syfy.com/syfywire/our-galaxy-is-warped
Original video: https://www.fuw.edu.pl/press-release/news5998.html
This animation shows the structure of our home galaxy, the Milky Way. The flat disk containing the spiral arms is actually warped, distorted likely due to gravitational interactions with neighboring galaxies. This animation is based on observations of Cepheid variable stars, a special kind of star where the distance can be found accurately. The Sun's position is marked by the yellow "sun" symbol.
Credit: J. Skowron / OGLE / Astronomical Observatory, University of Warsaw
My blog post with more more info: syfy.com/syfywire/our-galaxy-is-warped
Original video: https://www.fuw.edu.pl/press-release/news5998.html
