The understanding of the shape of the Milky Way has evolved over centuries through a combination of observation, deduction, and technological advancement. Early astronomers like Galileo Galilei and William Herschel made crucial contributions by observing the distribution of stars in the night sky. By the early 20th century, astronomers such as Harlow Shapley used the study of globular clusters to infer the Milky Way's size and position within it. However, the true three-dimensional structure of our galaxy began to emerge with the work of Jan Oort and others in the mid-20th century, who employed radio astronomy techniques to map the distribution of interstellar gas and dust.