# What's the shape of our galaxy? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 21, 2002, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-shape-of-our-galaxy/133196 "2002-10-21T06:20:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Human\_Bean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/43a26b/32.png) [@Human\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Human_Bean)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-shape-of-our-galaxy/133196/1 "2002-10-21T06:20:57Z")
This is the question that I always wanted to ask Carl Sagan, but, unfortunately, he’s not readily available to answer it. We’ve generally been lead to believe that we’re in a nicely symmetrical, ‘pretty’ galaxy like the Andromeda Galaxy, M31. I think that this is **almost** un-knowable, and a massive case of wishful thinking; we want to be pretty, but where’s the basis for saying so? I’ll accept that we’re near the outer edge of a spiral galaxy, it seems possible to discern this. Imagine that you’re looking edge-on at a piece of cardboard. This is our situation in the galaxy. Now, what’s the shape of the piece of cardboard? How could you posibly know?? Okay, you can determine the distance to various stars due to red-shift, but I’m not aware that any comprehensive survey has been, or will be done, and it seems doubtful that any definitive result has been obtained to-date. ISTR that someone said a few years ago that we might be in a barred spiral galaxy, but again, how would they know? So, just what is the shape of our galaxy, anyway? Is there good evidence for the conclusion? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-shape-of-our-galaxy/133196/2 "2002-10-21T06:36:25Z")
Judging from recent fast-food lawsuits, I’d say our galaxy is flabby and bloated. ---
**Author:** ![amee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/919ad9/32.png) [@amee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amee)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-shape-of-our-galaxy/133196/3 "2002-10-21T06:43:05Z")
Umm…Hi. I’m Amee. 🙂 Some theorists say the universe could be saddle shaped. In the end it’s either infinitely expanding or infinitely contracting. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-shape-of-our-galaxy/133196/4 "2002-10-21T07:13:54Z")
Hi Amee, welcome aboard (he he he get it, welcome a - **board**!!.. sigh) The OP was asking about the shape of our _galaxy_ rather than the whole universe. I thought we had good reason to believe it’s a nice spiral shape, but I don’t have access to any reasons why we do think this. ---
**Author:** ![Muad\_Dib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-shape-of-our-galaxy/133196/5 "2002-10-21T07:26:24Z")
It is shapped like a giant burrito. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-shape-of-our-galaxy/133196/6 "2002-10-21T07:54:08Z")
> [@](#): > > It is shapped like a giant burrito. [Homer] If God is all powerful, could he microwave a burrito _so hot_ that…wait. [/Homer] ---
**Author:** ![femtosecond](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f08c70/32.png) [@femtosecond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/femtosecond)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-shape-of-our-galaxy/133196/7 "2002-10-21T09:33:25Z")
The quote is _“Could Jesus microwave a burrito so hot that he himself could not eat it?”_ And I think _Hawking: “Your theory of a donut-shaped universe is intriguing, Homer. I may have to steal it.”_ would be equally appropriate here… Straight Dope Staff Report: [How do we know what shape the Milky Way is?](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mmilkywayshape.html) ---
**Author:** ![Sempaltvs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Sempaltvs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sempaltvs)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-shape-of-our-galaxy/133196/8 "2002-10-21T13:12:35Z")
but then where do the so-called ‘pictures’ of the Milky Way come from??? anyway i’m inclined to believe it’s spiral. don’t ask me why. in any case, the Milky Way is spinning really really fast so that may explain for the arms coming out from the spiral. or maybe it has to do with the super-gigantic-massive black holw in the Milky Way’s centre. does it? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-shape-of-our-galaxy/133196/9 "2002-10-21T13:30:13Z")
It’s in pretty poor shape, if you ask me! :mad: 😉 😃 And pretty soon, **december** will be by to blame Bill Clinton for that. 😃 😃 😃 ---
**Author:** ![g8rguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7cd45c/32.png) [@g8rguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/g8rguy)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-shape-of-our-galaxy/133196/10 "2002-10-21T13:51:49Z")
Damn you, **Bosda** , you beat me by 15 minutes! Grrr… ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-shape-of-our-galaxy/133196/11 "2002-10-21T18:08:09Z")
Google for Milky Way galaxy shape: first hit: [http://users.erols.com/arendt/Galaxy/mw.html](http://users.erols.com/arendt/Galaxy/mw.html) second hit: [http://www.star.le.ac.uk/edu/mway/](http://www.star.le.ac.uk/edu/mway/)