The Milky Way Galaxy
The Milky Way Galaxy is home to the Solar System and to planet Earth. Scientists believe that this barred spiral galaxy began forming during the Big Bang. View this presentation for a brief introduction to the history, formation, location, and structure of the Milky Way Galaxy.
Download a printable version of the interactivity.
To see an animation of a voyage away from the Milky Way galaxy, and past other galaxies, view the video Galaxies from eMediaVA℠. As you view the video, make note of any structural or descriptive features of the Milky Way Galaxy that you learned about in this topic.
The Great Debate
The Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in the 1920s
On April 26, 1920, two astronomers met at Baird auditorium in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History to present their findings on the scale of the universe, specifically dealing with the Milky Way. One astronomer, Harlow Shapley, felt that the Milky Way was the universe. Shapely believed that other galaxies were simply found inside of the Milky Way. Shapley did place the Sun on the outer portion of the Milky Way. The other astronomer, Heber Curtis, argued that the Milky Way and other galaxies were “island universes.” Curtis used evidence of the Doppler shift from other galaxies as his main evidence.
While neither astronomer was truly accurate with their proposals, the work of Edwin Hubble would later prove that the Milky Way galaxy is one of hundreds of billions galaxies in the universe. In this aspect of the debate, Curtis was more accurate; however, Shapley was more accurate in believing that placement of the Sun is on the outer portion of the galaxy.
Milky Way Galaxy Review
Now that you have explored the Milky Way Galaxy, check your knowledge in this non-graded activity. Read the directions associated with each question and select the correct response. Then, click SUBMIT to check your response. Click the interactivity thumbnail, and then click NEXT to begin.