The spiral galaxy NGC 4414 resembles the Milky Way Galaxy.
The Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI/NASA)
All the stars which we see in the night sky are part of our Galaxy, which is called the Milky Way Galaxy. A galaxy is an island of stars, gas and dust, floating in space. Galaxies are generally grouped into three different types depending on their shape - spiral, elliptical and irregular. The Milky Way is a spiral galaxy. It is flat with a central bulge and a number of protruding spiral arms. Our Solar System lies near the edge of the Galaxy within the spiral arm known as the Orion Arm.
The Milky Way that we see in the night sky as a fuzzy band of light is made up of countless stars that form the plane of our Galaxy. We are on the inside of our Galaxy looking out. Since our Galaxy is a flat disc, there are many more stars in some directions than in others. The centre of our Galaxy is located in the brightest part of the Milky Way, within the constellation of Sagittarius.