MilkyWayLinks

The big picture view of star formation starts with an overview of the Milky Way galaxy. Our vantage point in the Galaxy provides us the close up view of star formation (as we shall see). Other researchers study star formation "from afar" at a more global scale by looking at external galaxies. We might incorporate some of their findings, but will stick close to our neighborhood. The extra-galactic star formation is a field on its own and, despite an obvious commonality, a very different study than what astronomers study inside the Galaxy.

External links:

The structure of the Galaxy from Encyclopedia of Astronomy

A fun exploration of the Milky Way

Another primer on the components of the Milky Way

Learning points

• What kinds of object comprise each of the components?
• What are the relative ages of the different components?
• Where does star formation occur?