(Redirected from Perseus arm)
Observed structure of the Milky Way's spiral arms
The 'Perseus Spiral Arm' is a major
spiral arm of the
Milky Way galaxy.
The Milky Way is a
barred spiral galaxy with four major arms and and least two minor arms or spurs. The Perseus Spiral Arm, with a radius of approximately 10,700
parsecs, is located between the
Cygnus Arm and the
Sagittarius Arm. It is named after its proximity to the constellation
Perseus.
There is speculation that the minor
Orion Arm, which includes the
solar system and
Earth, is a branch of the Perseus Arm, but this is unconfirmed.
The Perseus Spiral arm contains a number of
Messier objects:
★ The
Crab Nebula (M1)
★
Open Cluster M36
★
Open Cluster M37
★
Open Cluster M38
★
Open Cluster M52
★
Open Cluster M103.
Other resources
See also
★
List of Messier objects
External links
★
Perseus Arm closer than previously thought
★
Messier Objects in the Milky Way Galaxy (SEDS)