spiral arm

noun

, Astronomy.

1. any of the elongated and curved spiral sections that are connected to the center of a spiral galaxy.

Word History and Origins

Origin of spiral arm¹

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

This discovery also connects spiral arm instabilities to the episodic growth bursts - a key factor for how high-mass stars form.

From Space Scoop

This discovery also connects spiral arm instabilities to the episodic growth bursts - a key factor for how high-mass stars form.

From Space Scoop

A few years ago, astronomers uncovered one of the Milky Way’s greatest secrets: an enormous, wave-shaped chain of gaseous clouds in our sun’s backyard, giving birth to clusters of stars along the spiral arm of the galaxy we call home.

From Science Daily

Since the Radcliffe Wave appears to form the backbone of the nearest spiral arm in the Milky Way, the waving of the wave could imply that spiral arms of galaxies oscillate in general, making galaxies even more dynamic than previously thought.

From Science Daily

This discovery also connects spiral arm instabilities to the episodic growth bursts - a key factor for how high-mass stars form.

From Space Scoop