New Research Affirms That Milky Way Has Four Spiral Arms

"Our Milky Way galaxy has four arms instead of two, according to just published results of a 12-year study by scientists in the U.K."

"The findings, published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, affirm what astronomers surmised in the 1950s but began to doubt in 2008 after seeing images from the Spitzer Space Telescope that could only confirm two spiral arms."

"Unlike our view of other galaxies, it's challenging to figure out from our inside looking out vantage point what the Milky Way looks like. Our solar system is thought to be located on one of the spiral arms that jut out from the massive central core."