How is it that spiral galaxies don't spiral?

JohnD70X7 · Jan 7, 2026

If he Milky Way galaxy even is a spiral galaxy, how is it that our solar system does not spiral down to the center or spiral out from the center (depending if the alleged spiral galaxy is spiraling down or out)? There is either a black hole at the center or a white hole.

And we cannot detect which it is. Or even if we are in a spiral galaxy. We are in the midst of the woods trying to speculate what shape the forest is.

JohnD70X7 · Jan 7, 2026

Old agers postulate that our solar system skips from spiral arm to spiral arm of the galaxy orbiting the galactic center over millions and millions of years. What if we actually ride the galactic arm into the black hole jaws of doom in far less time? Or fling out from the galaxy on that same arm if the spiral effect is ejecting rather than attracting?

Maria Billingsley · Jan 7, 2026

Loo

JohnD70X7 said:
If he Milky Way galaxy even is a spiral galaxy, how is it that our solar system does not spiral down to the center or spiral out from the center (depending if the alleged spiral galaxy is spiraling down or out)? There is either a black hole at the center or a white hole.

View attachment 375090

And we cannot detect which it is. Or even if we are in a spiral galaxy. We are in the midst of the woods trying to speculate what shape the forest is.

Looks like it's spiraling.

Takando · Jan 7, 2026

You asked that how our solar system does not spiral? Well it is spiraling exactly same way as the galaxy does. The reason we don't fall to sun is because we are moving in 3 dimensional space forward and sliding sideways in balanced speed that keeps us in stable distance away from sun. And our sun is moving also, quite fast actually, and that's why we do not fall to the black hole in the centre. Why we cannot see it? Because its in a middle of obstructing cloud. Why we know it's there? You don't need to see it if you can feel it.

JohnD70X7 · Jan 7, 2026

Takando said:
You asked that how our solar system does not spiral? Well it is spiraling exactly same way as the galaxy does. The reason we don't fall to sun is because we are moving in 3 dimensional space forward and sliding sideways in balanced speed that keeps us in stable distance away from sun. And our sun is moving also, quite fast actually, and that's why we do not fall to the black hole in the centre. Why we cannot see it? Because its in a middle of obstructing cloud. Why we know it's there? You don't need to see it if you can feel it.

Not what I said.
The solar system spirals down on the galactic arm spiral or spirals out depending on the nature of the galactic spiral (in or out).

Hans Blaster · Jan 7, 2026

Maria Billingsley said:
Loo

Looks like it's spiraling.

It's a very fake image. Stars make elliptical orbits around the central BH. It's no different that the Earth orbiting the Sun. In this case the Sun moves at about 220 km/s.

JohnD70X7 · Jan 8, 2026

Hans Blaster said:
It's a very fake image. Stars make elliptical orbits around the central BH. It's no different that the Earth orbiting the Sun. In this case the Sun moves at about 220 km/s.

So spiral galaxies are not spirals at all?
Talk about blind faith in what you believe...

Takando · Jan 8, 2026

It looks spiral due the orbit speed and distance. Exactly like in solar system. Also mathematically speaking the orbit is not perfect circle but ellipse in 2d model. Or something that looks like corkscrew if you put it to galaxy scale.

So if you call that corkscrew movement as spiralling it both is and isn't correct, depending on where its related to.

Hans Blaster · Jan 8, 2026

JohnD70X7 said:
So spiral galaxies are not spirals at all?
Talk about blind faith in what you believe...

The stars do not move in a spiral. They orbit the center like regular objects.

essentialsaltes · Jan 8, 2026

JohnD70X7 said:
So spiral galaxies are not spirals at all?

It's not a whirlpool going down a drain.

David Lamb · Jan 9, 2026

JohnD70X7 said:
If he Milky Way galaxy even is a spiral galaxy, how is it that our solar system does not spiral down to the center or spiral out from the center (depending if the alleged spiral galaxy is spiraling down or out)? There is either a black hole at the center or a white hole.

View attachment 375090

And we cannot detect which it is. Or even if we are in a spiral galaxy. We are in the midst of the woods trying to speculate what shape the forest is.

But the solar system is not a galaxy, so why should it spiral?

Larniavc · Jan 9, 2026

JohnD70X7 said:
If he Milky Way galaxy even is a spiral galaxy, how is it that our solar system does not spiral down to the center or spiral out from the center (depending if the alleged spiral galaxy is spiraling down or out)? There is either a black hole at the center or a white hole.

View attachment 375090

And we cannot detect which it is. Or even if we are in a spiral galaxy. We are in the midst of the woods trying to speculate what shape the forest is.

Gravity.

Larniavc · Jan 9, 2026

JohnD70X7 said:
Old agers postulate that our solar system skips from spiral arm to spiral arm of the galaxy orbiting the galactic center over millions and millions of years. What if we actually ride the galactic arm into the black hole jaws of doom in far less time? Or fling out from the galaxy on that same arm if the spiral effect is ejecting rather than attracting?

No they don’t.

Ophiolite · Jan 9, 2026

Larniavc said:
No they don’t.

If the "No" related to @JohnD70X7's assertion that "our solar system skips from spiral arm to spiral arm of the galaxy orbiting the galactic center over millions and millions of years." then you are mistaken. The spiral arms are density waves rotating at a different rate to the individual stars. They are regions of intense star formation associated with the collapse of GMCs (Giant Molecular Clouds). Certainly the solar system doesn't "skip" from spiral arm to spiral arm, but it certainly moves independently of them.

Hans Blaster · Jan 9, 2026

David Lamb said:
But the solar system is not a galaxy, so why should it spiral?

It doesn't. The other poster is either wildly confused or actively trying to deny reality.

Tuur · Jan 10, 2026

Hans Blaster said:
It's a very fake image. Stars make elliptical orbits around the central BH. It's no different that the Earth orbiting the Sun. In this case the Sun moves at about 220 km/s.

Corrections welcome in advance:

If something orbits. it's likely elliptical or close to it (does anything orbit with an eccentricity of 0? ). But then we get to spirals, but maybe in a different way than some might think. It's not a star spiraling inward or outward. but...and here I don't really understand... its an interstellar traffic jam. They're areas of higher density. Here is where the traffic jam idea might be giving me the wrong idea, but orbits can change some due to gravity from other objects, so maybe it's not all that wrong. Here's our solar system trucking along, then it comes to a sort of congested area and, well, things slow a little due to gravitational interaction of other objects in the jam, then the solar system clears, but eventually winds up in another. Just space is so empty that it's nowhere "bumper to bumper" so to speak and things don't slow very much. The spirals then are real, just that it's not everything going down a galactic drain.

linux.poet · Jan 10, 2026

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Shemjaza · Jan 10, 2026

It's a spiral shape, that doesn't mean all the stars that make up the spiral arms are spiraling down to Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the heart of the galaxy.

Here's an example:

This is clearly a spiral shape, but the material that makes up the thingie isn't spiraling down to the center.

JohnD70X7 · Jan 12, 2026

David Lamb said:
But the solar system is not a galaxy, so why should it spiral?

It can ride the galactic spiral. That which rides a spiral is said to spiral down (or up if it is an out thrusting spiral).

Hans Blaster · Jan 12, 2026

JohnD70X7 said:
It can ride the galactic spiral. That which rides a spiral is said to spiral down (or up if it is an out thrusting spiral).

It does not travel on a spiral path.

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How is it that spiral galaxies don't spiral?

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