Final answer:
The stars in the disk of the Milky Way are mostly distributed in its spiral arms, with a central bar and differential rotation affecting their placement. Star formation predominantly occurs along these spiral arms, where the Sun is also located.
Step-by-step explanation:
The stars in the disk of our galaxy are mostly distributed in its spiral arms. The Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy, consisting of a central bar composed mostly of old yellow-red stars, with the two main spiral arms highlighted by the blue light from young hot stars. The Galaxy does not rotate as a solid body; instead, differential rotation occurs, where material closer to the galactic center orbits more quickly than that further out.
Our Galaxy, the Milky Way, resembles other spiral galaxies in that it has a disk, central bulge, spiral arms, and it is involved in new star formation, mainly along the spiral arms. The bright stars and emission nebulae in these arms are indicative of active star formation. The Sun is located halfway between the galactic center and the edge of the disk, within a spur off one of the fainter arms.
Our radio observations and infrared studies show that the Milky Way's gaseous component is arranged in two major spiral arms emerging from the central bar, alongside several fainter arms and shorter spurs.