[hihello (OP)]

hi i was just wondering,

 When can you see the spiral arms of a spiral galaxy?

i always thought that you can see it form any direction but i also heard that you can see it when some or all of its face is pointed towards us
 or when its edge is pointed towards us but im not too sure...


[MOD EDIT - PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU PHRASE YOUR THREAD-TITLES AS QUESTIONS, WHICH IS OUR FORUM POLICY. THANKS. CHRIS]

[LeeE]

When I tried the google link it didn't show any edge-on spirals, so here's one of NGC891, courtesy of nasa:



As you can see, you can't see any spiral arms.  Actually, this one has been hypothesised to have a central bar, rather than the more 'normal' spiral arms.  It does nicely show up the dust though.

[GlentoranMark]

Why not try some real science and see if you can spot a spiral galaxy?

http://www.galaxyzoo.org/

[LeeE]

Lol - I did Galaxy Zoo for a while, until I realised what a huge time-drain it had become.

[GlentoranMark]

Its an addictive site but a worthwhile cause  []