--- title: Milky Way Has Four Arms, Not Two description: Astronomers in the U.K. have counted not two but four arms swirling out from the center of the Milky Way. According to NPR, the updated... canonical: https://time.com/archive/7218509/study-finds-milky-way-has-four-arms-not-two/ author: Dan Kedmey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2013-12-18T08:48:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-18T14:45:29.379Z article:section: Science og:title: Milky Way Has Four Arms, Not Two og:description: Astronomers in the U.K. have counted not two but four arms swirling out from the center of the Milky Way. According to NPR, the updated... og:url: https://time.com/archive/7218509/study-finds-milky-way-has-four-arms-not-two/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc8e5ead9efd0d536/6998b594e2d64b7f69c5d6f2/space_02.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1452 og:image:height: 817 og:image:alt: The Milky Way og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Milky Way Has Four Arms, Not Two twitter:description: Astronomers in the U.K. have counted not two but four arms swirling out from the center of the Milky Way. According to NPR, the updated... twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc8e5ead9efd0d536/6998b594e2d64b7f69c5d6f2/space_02.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Science](/section/science/) # Study Finds Milky Way Has Four Arms, Not Two > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-futureproof-2026q3/newsletters?i=a0ece39d-ca01-4504-9a94-80d6dfc5b948&cr=time-nl-futureproof-2026q3-v1) by [Dan Kedmey](https://time.com/author/dan-kedmey/) Dec 18, 2013 8:48 AM UTC  UNSPECIFIED - SEPTEMBER 07: A binocular observer and the spectacular appearance of our Milky Way galaxy, as seen from a very dark site. (Photo by Babek Tafreshi/SSPL/Getty Images) UNSPECIFIED - SEPTEMBER 07: A binocular observer and the spectacular appearance of our Milky Way galaxy, as seen from a very dark site. (Photo by Babek Tafreshi/SSPL/Getty Images) SSPL via Getty Images—SSPL/Babek Tafreshi by [Dan Kedmey](https://time.com/author/dan-kedmey/) Dec 18, 2013 8:48 AM UTC Astronomers in the U.K. have [counted](http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/12/17/252107695/new-research-affirms-that-milky-way-has-four-spiral-arms?ft=1&f=1007) not two but four arms swirling out from the center of the Milky Way. [According to](http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/12/17/252107695/new-research-affirms-that-milky-way-has-four-spiral-arms?ft=1&f=1007) NPR, the updated arm-count comes from a 12-year [galactic survey](http://mnras.oxfordjournals.org/content/437/2/1791) of massive young stars. The short-lived stars have no time to drift outside of the arms and therefore make convenient markers for the galaxy’s appendages. Taken together, they paint a very different picture of the Milky Way, which up until now had been inadvertently amputated in its two-armed renderings, and can now be restored to its true, four-armed splendor. \[[NPR](http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/12/17/252107695/new-research-affirms-that-milky-way-has-four-spiral-arms?ft=1&f=1007)\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/archive/7218509/study-finds-milky-way-has-four-arms-not-two/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/archive/7218509/study-finds-milky-way-has-four-arms-not-two/"},"headline":"Study Finds Milky Way Has Four Arms, Not Two","datePublished":"2013-12-18T08:48:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-18T14:45:29.379Z","description":"Astronomers in the U.K. have counted not two but four arms swirling out from the center of the Milky Way. 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