How do we know what our own galaxy looks like

[neonskyz]

If we are in the milky way how do we know what it looks like and how have we took a picture of our own Galaxy when we are in it if you understand what i mean and can give me an answer please do ...thanx xx xx

[another-view]

Where did you read that we took a picture of our own galaxy? There's maybe pictures of galaxies that are similar to ours but we don't have the technology to take a picture of our own.

[abstract]

its obvious that those secretive lovers of probing, the ''aliens'' must also have a love for photography!

[R1Geezer]

we don't directly, however we can extrapolate from data we have what it would look like viewed from outside. Distances to millions of stars are known, rom that it isa fairly simple bit of 3d plotting to determine the shape. Then to rotate that shape to view from any angle. Essentially it's just a cad program.

It is a slightly smaller version of our neighbour Andromeda, ie a standard spiral:

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/0611/andromeda _gendler.jpg

[neonskyz]

Thanks R1 Geezer that was a help

[beso]

In essence any wide area photo of the sky is a picture of our galaxy. Just it is from the inside. We can't see a lot of it because of dust.

Due to the motion of the stars in the Milky Way some scientists are beginning to think there may be a sister galaxy close by but on the other side of our galaxy where we can't see it. In 220 million years when the sun is on the other side of the Milky Way the night sky might be very spectacular.