# A Space and Galaxy question. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 1, 2018, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-space-and-galaxy-question/815294 "2018-06-01T23:32:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Silver\_lining](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aca169/32.png) [@Silver\_lining](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_lining)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-space-and-galaxy-question/815294/1 "2018-06-01T23:32:30Z")
It seems to me most stars and galaxies appear to me more EAST- WEST than NORTH TO SOUTH. Is this accurate? If so why? ---
**Author:** ![D18](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@D18](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D18)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2018, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-space-and-galaxy-question/815294/2 "2018-06-02T00:06:53Z")
Well, the milky way runs more north/south than east/west, so there’s one contradictory observation. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2018, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-space-and-galaxy-question/815294/3 "2018-06-02T00:22:21Z")
OP, can you explain what you mean? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2018, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-space-and-galaxy-question/815294/4 "2018-06-02T01:21:08Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > OP, can you explain what you mean? Yeah, the question doesn’t make much sense without some context. A star is a point of light - how can it be oriented E/W or N/S? ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2018, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-space-and-galaxy-question/815294/5 "2018-06-02T01:25:22Z")
If you mean they appear to pass across the sky more east-west than north-south, you may be on to something. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_lining](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aca169/32.png) [@Silver\_lining](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_lining)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2018, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-space-and-galaxy-question/815294/6 "2018-06-02T15:47:08Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Yeah, the question doesn’t make much sense without some context. A star is a point of light - how can it be oriented E/W or N/S? Suppose our galaxy is a large round like shape and you are in the absolute center of it. Where are the stars most commonly found? Well above and below your point, or more toward your left or right. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2018, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-space-and-galaxy-question/815294/7 "2018-06-02T16:15:53Z")
> [@Silver\_lining](#): > > Suppose our galaxy is a large round like shape and you are in the absolute center of it. Our galaxy is not a “large round like shape”; it is a barred spiral disk with a central bulge. The Earth is inclined ~63° to the galactic plane, but the specific position of the Milky Was will depend on latitude. How much do you know about astronomy? Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2018, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-space-and-galaxy-question/815294/8 "2018-06-02T16:25:18Z")
And if you were in the center of a sphere of stars, then they’d be found equally in all directions. ---
**Author:** ![Twoflower](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/twoflower/32/22_2.png) [@Twoflower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Twoflower)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2018, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-space-and-galaxy-question/815294/9 "2018-06-02T16:27:13Z")
> [@Silver\_lining](#): > > Suppose our galaxy is a large round like shape and you are in the absolute center of it. You’ve been sucked into a supermassive black hole. You don’t see any stars. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2018, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-space-and-galaxy-question/815294/10 "2018-06-02T21:54:33Z")
> [@Silver\_lining](#): > > Well above and below your point, or more toward your left or right. How are you defining “above,” “below,” “left” and “right”?