What spiral arm of the Milky Way is the Sun located in?

The Sun is located in the Milky Way’s Orion Arm, also called the Orion–Cygnus Arm or Local Arm.

The Orion Arm is a relatively minor spiral-arm segment between the larger Perseus Arm and the Carina–Sagittarius Arm. The Solar System lies near the arm’s inner edge, roughly halfway along its length, inside a relatively low-density region called the Local Bubble. This location places Earth well away from the Milky Way’s crowded central regions while still within the Galaxy’s thin stellar disk.

Astronomers have sometimes described the Orion structure as a spur rather than a full major arm. Modern measurements of star-forming regions, masers and stellar motions suggest it may be an independent arm segment or a branch associated with the Perseus Arm. Those structural labels can vary, but Orion Arm remains the standard answer to this quiz question.

It is commonly confused with the Sagittarius Arm, which lies closer to the Galactic Center, or the Perseus Arm, which is farther outward. The Sun is not in either of those major neighboring arms.