Somebody claims that the picture below is the most recent photo of the Milky Way, taken with an instrument aboard a spacecraft that has just recently left the boundaries of our home galaxy and is on its way to Andromeda. This image cannot be the Milky Way because

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

In evaluating why the claim about the image being the Milky Way is dubious, it helps to test each provided option against astronomical facts and common misconceptions.
Option 1: 'the Milky Way is way too big for a spacecraft to go that far.' This statement confuses the distance scale with observational perspective. While the Milky Way is immense (roughly 100,000 light-years in diameter), the core issue is not whether a spacecraft could travel that distance, but that we are located inside the Milky Way and looking outward from within it. If a spacecraft had just left the Milky Way’s boundary, it would be leaving our own galaxy, not taking a picture that would show the Milky Way as we observe it from inside. So the claim is not a valid reason to conclude the image isn’t the Milky Way; it misstates what such a photo would depict and misconstrues our position relative to the galaxy.
Option 2: 'all galaxies in the universe are identical, and therefore we cannot be so sure that this is the Milky Way.' This is incorrect because galaxies are diverse in type, size, structure, and appearance. The assertion that all galaxies are identical isfactually false, and it does not provide a logical basis for ruling out the Milky Way as the source of the image.
Option 3: 'we live in an elliptical galaxy.' This is incorrect. The Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy, not an elliptical one. Claiming we live in an elliptical galaxy contradicts well-supported astronomical consensus and therefore cannot be used to justify whether the image shows the Milky Way.
Option 4: 'the Sun is at the very center of the galaxy.' This is also false. The Sun is located in the Orion Arm, about 27,000 light-years from the Galactic center, not at the center. This misunderstanding does not logically support the conclusion that the image cannot be the Milky Way.
Option 5: 'our galaxy does not have a bar.' This statement is incorrect because the Milky Way is widely believed to host a central bar structure. Asserting the absence of a bar contradicts current observations and models, and thus cannot be used to disprove the image being the Milky Way.

Overall, none of the incorrect options provides a correct, scientifically valid reason to claim the image cannot be the Milky Way based on the scenario described. The core issue hinges on observational perspective from within the galaxy, which is not captured by any of the given incorrect justifications. The best-supported explanation would hinge on recognizing that claiming a photo taken outside the Milky Way would depict the Milky Way is inconsistent with our position inside it, rather than relying on size or simplistic galaxy-type statements.

EESC1120.01|.02 Summer 2025 Our Home Amongst the Cosmos [Kruckenberg] Week 3: Quiz

Somebody claims that the picture below is the most recent photo of the Milky Way, taken with an instrument aboard a spacecraft that has just recently left the boundaries of our home galaxy and is on its way to Andromeda. This image cannot be the Milky Way because

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