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Milky Way
Milky Way section

Orion Arm slice (~5,000 light years)

Zoomed-in section from above showing a slice of the Orion (Local) Arm with our sun, which is located near the inner edge of the Orion Arm. Top is inward towards the Sagittarius Arm (and Galactic Center). Bottom is outward towards the Perseus Arm.

Milky Way - Orion Arm Section

Loop Bubbles scale (~1,000 light-years)

Zoomed-in view from above showing Loop I Bubble, Loop II Bubble, and Loop III Bubble surrounding the Local Bubble.

Milky Way section view



Local Bubble scale (~300 light-years)

Zoomed-in view from above showing the Local Bubble, which our Sun is located inside. The Local Bubble is believed to be a "chimney" or tunnel that forms a hole in the Orion Arm.

Milky Way section view



Local Fluff scale (~15 light-years)

Zoomed-in view from above showing the Local Fluff. Our Solar system is located on the edge of the Local Fluff, also called the Local Interstellar Cloud (LIC), located approximately in the the center of the Local Bubble. The nearby Alpha Centauri system is located in the minor G cloud that skirts the LIC. The outer boundary of our Oort Cloud touches and probably overlaps with the Oort Cloud of the Alpha Centauri system.

Milky Way section view