Change your view of a spiral
Start almost face-on, then tilt the disc. See how the same spiral can become a narrow streak without changing its stars.
Preparing the experiment
Illustrative modelDrag to orbit · scroll to inspect
Spiral disc + central bulge · foreground stars sit closer · inclination is relative to the reset view
An illustrative spiral disc. This experiment changes viewpoint; it is not a measured reconstruction of Triangulum or a simulation of its evolution.