SpiralMap: A Python library of the Milky Way's spiral arms
Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
2026-03-03 v2 Astrophysics of Galaxies
Abstract
We present a library of the major spiral arm models (and maps) of the Galaxy. The package is written in Python, and allows the user to both extract the 2D trace and overplot the spiral arms in Cartesian/Polar coordinates in both Heliocentric (HC) and Galactocentric (GC) frames. The current version is a compilation of 9 models (and maps) covering a range of tracers (stars, gas). Other models can also be added upon request.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2506.11383,
title = {SpiralMap: A Python library of the Milky Way's spiral arms},
author = {Abhay Kumar Prusty and Shourya Khanna},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2506.11383},
year = {2026}
}
Comments
Update: Additional models included. Submitted to the Journal of Open Source Software. Repository is at https://github.com/Abhaypru/SpiralMap