universetoday.com
What Does the Milky Way Look Like?
Since we're inside the Milky Way, it's impossible for us to see what our whole galaxy looks like. But we can look at similar galaxies and get a pretty good idea. Astronomers from the European Southern Observatory have photographed two galaxies - NGC 4565 and M83 - which are very similar to the Milky Way. NGC 4565 is perfectly edge on, so we can see the central bulge. M83 is face on, so we can see its magnificent spiral arms and central structure.
Fraser Cain