Photometric evidence for the bar

Good evidence for the existence of a bar at the center of the Milky Way was available nearly twenty years ago, but it is only in the last several years that its existence has become compelling. Previous evidence for the existence of a bar is reviewed, and the recent photometric evidence is discussed. The system of metal‐rich globular clusters is shown to exhibit an elongation and orientation consistent with the bar determined by other means. It is argued that the reason that the bar was not previously embraced is that it conflicted with the prevailing idea that the non‐circular motions of the gas near the center is due to explosions, which had an influential proponent in Jan Oort.