Glossary term: Galactic bar
Description: Many spiral galaxies have bar, a feature in there central region where most of the stars, gas and dust follow a straight bar feature. The spiral arms of the galaxy then begin beyond the outer edge of this bar. Spiral galaxies with a bar are called barred spiral galaxies. The Milky Way is thought to be a barred spiral galaxy.
Related Terms:See this term in other languages
Term and definition status: This term and its definition is still awaiting approval
The OAE Multilingual Glossary is a project of the IAU Office of Astronomy for Education (OAE) in collaboration with the IAU Office of Astronomy Outreach (OAO). The terms and definitions were chosen, written and reviewed by a collective effort from the OAE, the OAE Centers and Nodes, the OAE National Astronomy Education Coordinators (NAECs) and other volunteers. You can find a full list of credits here. All glossary terms and their definitions are released under a Creative Commons CC BY-4.0 license and should be credited to "IAU OAE".
