How many arms are in the Milky Way galaxy?

Beyond the Perseus arm, it is thought that much more distant ones exist – however, these arms become less distinct making it hard to count how many there are. Closer to the Milky Way’s centre, rests the Sagittarius-Scutum arm and even closer is the Centaurus-Carina arm, a complex region where recent studies suggest that the Milky Way has a bar lacing its glowing core with two arms curling upon themselves. read more

Milky Way Galaxy Has Four Spiral Arms, New Study Confirms. A 12-year study published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society has confirmed that our Milky Way Galaxy has four spiral arms, following years of debate that it has only two arms. read more