Perseus Arm
Encyclopedia
The Perseus Arm is one of two major spiral arms of the Milky Way
galaxy. The second major arm is called Scutum–Centaurus Arm. Perseus Arm begins from the distal end of the long Milky Way
.
The Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy
with two major arms and a number minor arms or spurs. The Perseus Spiral Arm, with a radius of approximately 10,700 parsecs, is located between the minor Cygnus
and Carina–Sagittarius Arms. It is named after its proximity to the constellation Perseus
.
There is speculation that the local spur known as the Orion–Cygnus Arm, which includes the solar system
and Earth
and is located inside of Perseus Arm, is a branch of it, but this is unconfirmed.
The Perseus Spiral arm contains a number of Messier objects:
Milky Way
The Milky Way is the galaxy that contains the Solar System. This name derives from its appearance as a dim un-resolved "milky" glowing band arching across the night sky...
galaxy. The second major arm is called Scutum–Centaurus Arm. Perseus Arm begins from the distal end of the long Milky Way
Milky Way
The Milky Way is the galaxy that contains the Solar System. This name derives from its appearance as a dim un-resolved "milky" glowing band arching across the night sky...
.
The Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy
Barred spiral galaxy
A barred spiral galaxy is a spiral galaxy with a central bar-shaped structure composed of stars. Bars are found in approximately two-thirds of all spiral galaxies...
with two major arms and a number minor arms or spurs. The Perseus Spiral Arm, with a radius of approximately 10,700 parsecs, is located between the minor Cygnus
Cygnus Arm
The Norma Arm is a minor spiral arm of the Milky Way galaxy extending from and around the central hub region of the Milky Way Galaxy. The inner portion of the Arm is called Norma Arm in narrow meaning...
and Carina–Sagittarius Arms. It is named after its proximity to the constellation Perseus
Perseus (constellation)
Perseus is a constellation in the northern sky, named after the Greek hero Perseus. It was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and remains one of the 88 modern constellations defined by the International Astronomical Union...
.
There is speculation that the local spur known as the Orion–Cygnus Arm, which includes the solar system
Solar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
and Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
and is located inside of Perseus Arm, is a branch of it, but this is unconfirmed.
The Perseus Spiral arm contains a number of Messier objects:
- The Crab NebulaCrab NebulaThe Crab Nebula is a supernova remnant and pulsar wind nebula in the constellation of Taurus...
(M1) - Open Cluster M36Messier 36Open Cluster M36 is an open cluster in the Auriga constellation. It was discovered by Giovanni Batista Hodierna before 1654. M36 is at a distance of about 4,100 light years away from Earth and is about 14 light years across. There are at least sixty members in the cluster...
- Open Cluster M37Messier 37Messier 37 is the richest open cluster in the constellation Auriga. It was discovered by Hodierna before 1654....
- Open Cluster M38Messier 38Messier 38 is an open cluster in the Auriga constellation.It was discovered by Giovanni Batista Hodierna before 1654 and independently found by Le Gentil in 1749...
- Open Cluster M52Messier 52Messier 52 is an open cluster in the Cassiopeia constellation. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1774. M52 can be seen from Earth with binoculars....
- Open Cluster M103Messier 103Messier 103 is an open cluster where a few thousand stars formed in the constellation Cassiopeia. This open cluster was discovered in 1781 by Charles Messier’s friend and collaborator Pierre Méchain. It is one of the most distant open clusters, with distances of 8,000 to 9,500 light years from the...
.