The Milky Way is classified as a barred spiral galaxy. It contains billions of stars, along with vast amounts of gas and dust, all rotating around a supermassive black hole at its center. The galaxy features distinct arms that spiral out from the center, which gives it its characteristic shape. Our solar system is located in one of these arms, known as the Orion Arm, positioned roughly 27,000 light-years from the galactic center. The Milky Way is visible from Earth as a band of light across the night sky, made up of countless distant stars, making it one of the most studied galaxies in astronomy.