根据天文学家建构的模型,我们所处的银河系的形状像一块巨大的凸透镜似的圆盘。现已知道,它的形状的确如此。银河系是由上千亿颗恒星构成的,其直径约10万光年,圆盘的厚度在中心处是2万光年左右,愈向边缘愈薄。我们的太阳系位于从银河系中心到边缘三分之二的地方,圆盘在这里的厚度大约是3千光年。 According to a model built by astronomers, the galaxy we are in is shaped like a giant, lenticular disk. It is now known that its shape is true. The galaxy is made up of hundreds of billions of stars with a diameter of about 100,000 light-years. The thickness of the disk is about 20,000 light-years in the center, the thinner the edge is. Our solar system is located two-thirds of the way from the center of the Milky Way to the edge of the disk, where the thickness of the disk is about three thousand light-years.