Orion Arm

The Orion Arm, or Orion–Cygnus Arm, is a minor spiral arm of the Milky Way galaxy.Also known as Local Arm, Orion Bridge, Local Spur and Orion Spur It is of interest because the Solar System (including the Earth) is inside it. The spiral arm is some  across and approximately  in length.Harold Spencer Jones, T H. Huxley, Proceedings of the Royal Institution of Great Britain, Royal Institution of Great Britain, v. 38–39 

The Orion Arm is named after the Orion constellation, one of the most prominent constellations. It is seen in the Northern Hemisphere during winter and in the Southern Hemisphere during summer. Some of the brightest stars and most famous celestial objects are in the Orion Arm: Betelgeuse, Rigel, the stars of Orion's Belt and the Orion nebula. They are shown on the interactive map below.

The Orion Arm is between the Carina–Sagittarius Arm (toward the Galactic centre) and the Perseus Arm (toward the outside Universe). The Perseus Arm is one of the two major arms of the Milky Way. The Solar system is on the Orion spur, between the two longer adjacent arms Perseus and Carina-Sagittarius.Earth's Milky Way neighborhood gets more respect, National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Dave Finley, 3 June 2013

Inside the Orion Arm, the Solar System is close to the inner rim, in the Local Bubble (simple wiki link) Local Bubble (wiki link). It is about halfway along the Orion Arm's length, about  from the Galactic centre.

600px|thumb|center|The shape of the Orion Spur

 Interactive map 

References

Category:Milky Way