This is an illustration of the Milky Way galaxy as it might be seen from "above" or "below" its plane. When we see it from Earth, we are within the plane of the spiral, so we can't see the spiral arms, but on this drawing you can. Which of the stars marks the approximate real position of the sun? 1 3 2 4

Milky way

Our solar system is in the Milky way galaxy. It appears like a hazy band of light in the night sky. It is a barred spiral galaxy having a estimated visible diameter of 100,000 to 20,0000 light years. Milky way galaxy consists of 100 to 400 billion stars and 100 to 400 planets also. Our solar system is located at a radius of about 27,000 light years from the Galactic center. Thus our sun is located nearly 27,000 light years from the center. It is about halfway between the center and the edge of our galaxy. The sun lies near a small partial arm called the Orion arm.