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
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
wavelengths 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:[1][citation needed]
abundances – the study of the location of elements heavier than helium
bulge – the study of the bulge around the center of the Milky Way
center – the study of the central region of the Milky Way
disk – the study of the Milky Way disk (the plane upon which most galactic objects are aligned)