What galaxy is ML?

[cclloyd]

Is the galaxy in the 10.8 wallpaper still Andromeda, just from a different angle? It looks pretty similar, just recolored.

 

[Cougarcat]

Yes.

 

[Icaras]

Nice, thanks for asking. I wouldn't have known otherwise. All along I was just thinking it was the Milky Way, but now that you point it out, it does look quite different.

Anyway, awesome shot and loving it as my wallpaper at the moment. This is probably my favorite stock wallpaper from an OSX release yet. 😀

 

[cocky jeremy]

Actually, i don't even think our galaxy is a spiral galaxy. Not in the typical sense of the word, at least. I think it's considered a "weak" spiral. Could be wrong, though.

 

[maflynn]

Actually, i don't even think our galaxy is a spiral galaxy. Not in the typical sense of the word, at least. I think it's considered a "weak" spiral. Could be wrong, though.

The wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milky_Way Seems to inidicate that there is no concensus on the spiral structure of our galaxy. I'm no professional astronomer, though in my younger days I owned a telescope and used to go out to an observatory

 

[njaremka]

the problem with imaging or describing the milky way galaxy is that we are inside it. its like trying to determine what the outside of your house looks like without actually going outside.

 

[MasterHowl]

Nice, thanks for asking. I wouldn't have known otherwise. All along I was just thinking it was the Milky Way, but now that you point it out, it does look quite different.

We don't have any photographs of the Milky way from an outside perspective, since we're inside it and it's so huge!

 

[tkermit]

The 10.8 wallpaper is the first one since Tiger that doesn't seem completely over the top to me...