The Milky Way is a spiral galaxy, having pinwheel-shaped arms of gas, dust, and stars lying in a flattened disc, and extending directly out from a spherical nucleus of stars in the central region.

• 位于扁平星盘上的径直从中心区域处的星体球形核延伸出来的具有性如同风车状的气体、尘土和星体的银河系是一个旋涡星云系。