Galaxy Coordinate Grid
Galaxy Coordinate Grid
| Group Name | galGrid |
| Reference | -- |
| Prepared by | Brian Abbott (AMNH/Hayden) |
| Labels | Yes |
| Files | galgrid.speck |
| Dependencies | none |
The Galaxy grid spans the Galactic disk. It is 100,000 light-years on each side, and its midpoint is at the Galactic center. The grid lies in the plane of the Galaxy, which is about 50 light-years “below” the Sun and Earth, which are slightly above the Galactic plane. Labels appear every 10,000 light-years and are in units of kilo-light-years (kly).
All of the 3-D data sets lie within this grid except for a handful of globular clusters, some pulsars, and galaxies in the Local Group. The grid is complemented by the Milky Way image, the Galactic bar, the Galactic bulge, and the halo, which diagrammatically highlight some of the Galaxy's structural features.
© 2002-2005 American Museum of Natural History
Last Modified: 2007-12-19 by Brian Abbott