Galaxies and the Milky Way

It’s challenging for astronomers to map our galaxy and the Earth’s position in it; imagine trying to draw a picture of your house without ever going outside. LSST will provide a clearer picture of our galaxy from the inside out, and of the local galaxies that interact with ours.


Our Place in the Galaxy

Students will do a survey of star number densities to discover that our galaxy is a spiral type, and that the Sun is located in the plane of the Galaxy roughly halfway between the center and outer edge.

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Interacting Galaxies

Students will use a mapper tool to examine relative number densities of stars in the Galaxy and discover tidal streams. They will learn how tidal streams provide evidence that our galaxy has interacted with nearby dwarf galaxies.

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Searching for Dwarf Galaxies

Students will examine star populations to discover the location of nearby dwarf galaxies. They will learn that the Milky Way interacts with more than 50 dwarf galaxy companions.


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