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Orion Arm

A Dictionary of Astronomy | 1997 | 591 words | Copyright

Orion Arm The local spiral arm of our Galaxy. The Sun lies near its inner edge, that is, towards the galactic centre. All the main naked-eye stars are part of the Orion arm, including those of Orion itself. The arm stretches towards Cygnus in one direction, and towards Puppis and Vela in the opposite direction. Features in the Orion Arm include the Gum Nebula, the Orion Nebula, the North America Nebula, the Cygnus Loop, and the Great Rift. The Orion arm was once thought to be a connecting link between larger structures in our Galaxy; hence it is sometimes also known as the Orion Spur.

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