All About the Galaxy
The Milky Way Galaxy is the only Galaxy for which we can observe a wealth of detail, and yet we only have a hazy idea of what it might look like from above, how it compares to other galaxies, and how it has changed (and will continue to change) over time. This talk will provide a Galactic orientation that touches on some cutting edge research. Some of the questions we will cover include: What are the main structural components of a Galaxy? How and where does the Galaxy form stars? What determines the overall structure of stars and gas?