It might seem that it would be easy

It might seem that it would be easy for astronomers,given all this information,to figure out the shape,size,and structure of the galaxy. On the contrary,the fact that we view the Milky Way from within has made it very hard to learn about its shape and from. In many ways we know more about our own. Thus there are still many uncertainties about the organnization of the galaxy and about the way that its many components interact wiht each other. What we have already learned about the galaxy,however,is descripbeb in this chapter.The following important questions are addressed.