The Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy that contains the Sun and over 200 billion stars, making it one of the largest and most well-known galaxies in the Local Group. As a barred spiral, its structure is characterized by a central bar surrounding a rotating disk containing spiral arms where star formation frequently occurs. Our solar system resides within one of the outer arms, traveling through the galaxy's disk structure. The galaxy is estimated to be composed of billions of stars, stellar remnants, gas, and dust, all held together by the gravitational forces within its rotating mass.