Editing Galactic astronomy

{{Short description|Study of the Milky Way galaxy and its contents}}
[[File: Artist's impression of the Milky Way (updated - annotated).jpg|thumb|300px|An artist's conception of the [[Milky Way]]]]

'''Galactic astronomy''' is the study of the [[Milky Way]] galaxy and all its contents. This is in contrast to [[extragalactic astronomy]], which is the study of everything outside our galaxy, including all other galaxies.

Galactic astronomy should not be confused with [[galaxy formation and evolution]], which is the general study of [[galaxy|galaxies]], their formation, structure, components, dynamics, interactions, and the range of forms they take.

The Milky Way galaxy, where the [[Solar System]] is located, is in many ways the best-studied galaxy, although important parts of it are obscured from view in visible [[wavelength]]s by regions of [[cosmic dust]]. The development of [[radio astronomy]], [[infrared astronomy]] and [[submillimetre astronomy]] in the 20th century allowed the gas and dust of the Milky Way to be mapped for the first time.

== Subcategories ==
A standard set of subcategories is used by astronomical journals to split up the subject of Galactic Astronomy:<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://science-train.com/w/Galactic_astronomy/Subcategories.html|title=Galactic Astronomy - Subcategories {{!}} The English knowledge database|website=science-train.com|language=en|access-date=2017-12-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222051555/https://science-train.com/w/Galactic_astronomy/Subcategories.html|archive-date=2017-12-22|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{citation needed|reason=no author, no references|date=August 2011}}
# abundances – the study of the location of elements heavier than helium
# [[galactic bulge|bulge]] – the study of the bulge around the center of the Milky Way
# [[Galactic Center|center]] – the study of the central region of the Milky Way
# [[thick disk|disk]] – the study of the Milky Way disk (the plane upon which most galactic objects are aligned)
# [[Galaxy formation and evolution|evolution]] – the evolution of the Milky Way
# [[Galaxy formation and evolution|formation]] – the formation of the Milky Way
# fundamental parameters – the fundamental parameters of the Milky Way (mass, size etc.)
# [[List of globular clusters|globular cluster]] – [[globular cluster]]s within the Milky Way
# [[Galactic halo|halo]] – the large halo around the Milky Way
# [[Stellar kinematics|kinematics, and dynamics]] – the motions of stars and clusters
# [[galactic nucleus|nucleus]] – the region around the [[black hole]] at the center of the Milky Way ([[Sagittarius A*]])
# open clusters and associations – [[open cluster]]s and associations of stars
# [[Solar neighborhood]] – [[List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs|nearby stars]]
# [[List of stars|stellar content]] – numbers and types of stars in the Milky Way
# [[Galaxy formation and evolution|structure]] – the structure (spiral arms etc.)

== Stellar populations ==
* [[Star cluster]]s
**[[Globular cluster]]s
**[[Open cluster]]s

== Interstellar medium ==
* [[Outer space#Interplanetary space|Interplanetary space]] - [[Interplanetary medium]] - [[interplanetary dust cloud|interplanetary dust]]
* [[Outer space#Interstellar space|Interstellar space]] - [[Interstellar medium]] - [[cosmic dust|interstellar dust]]
* [[Outer space#Intergalactic space|Intergalactic space]] - [[Outer space#Intergalactic space|Intergalactic medium]] - [[Intergalactic dust]]

== See also ==
* [[Galaxy]]
** [[Milky Way]]
* [[Extragalactic astronomy]]
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==References==
<references />

==External links==
{{Commonscat}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050508022853/http://aanda.u-strasbg.fr:2002/articles/aas/full/1997/18/ds1364/ds1364.html Mapping the hydrogen gas in the Milky Way]

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{{Galaxy}}
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[[Category:Galactic astronomy| ]]
[[Category:Astronomical sub-disciplines]]