GALACTIC STRUCTURE2025
⊛
Milky Way
Visual Galaxy Explorer
Interactive 3D model of the Milky Way (SBbc barred spiral) with 130,000+ differentially rotating stars. Features realistic O/B/A/F/G/K/M spectral color grading, HII regions, planetary nebulae, globular clusters, Sgr A* accretion disk, relativistic jets, dark matter halo, Solar System 'You Are Here' marker, named spiral arm labels, and Wikipedia-linked hover cards for 30+ objects.
Parameters
TypeSBbc Barred Spiral
CenterSgr A* — 4.154×10⁶ M☉
Diameter~100,000 ly (~30.7 kpc)
Bar Length~27,000 ly (44° to Sun–center)
Sun Distance~26,000 ly — Orion Spur
Rotationv_c ≈ 220 km/s (flat curve)
Stars~200–400 billion
Dark Matter~85% of total mass, R > 80 kly
Stack
Three.jsGLSLWebGLAstrophysics