Milky Way galaxy is a large spiral galaxy where the Solar System is located, including the Earth. Scientists predict that the current Milky Way is 13.6 billion years old, while the universe is 13.8 billion years old.
Launch Space space NASA, Sunday (10/23/2022), most galaxies are between 10 and 13.6 billion years old. Astronomers use light to study celestial bodies, including determining their age.
Light always travels at a certain speed. NASA calls it nearly 186,000 miles or about 300,000 kilometers per second. That is, light can travel a distance of about 6 trillion miles or about 10 trillion kilometers in an Earth year.
Diameter and thickness of the Milky Way
The unit of distance to express the astronomical year is commonly referred to as the light year. According to the Las Cumbres Observatory, the Milky Way is about 100,000 light years in diameter and only 1000 light years thick.
Just like the Earth orbits the Sun, the Solar System orbits the center Milky Way galaxy. The Solar System takes approximately 250 million years to complete one revolution, even though it is speeding through space at a speed of approximately 515,000 mph (828,000 km / h). Space.
According to the scientists, the last time Earth was in that position was when dinosaurs were just emerging and mammals hadn’t yet evolved.
Still on site Spaceat the center of the Milky Way is a supermassive black hole called Sagittarius A. With a mass equivalent to four million Suns, this black hole discovered in 1974 can be observed in the sky with a radio telescope near the constellation of Sagittarius.
Also, there are many objects in the galaxy that are spinning in space. Around it is a dense region of dust, gas and stars called the galactic bulge.
According to the European Space Agency (ESA), in the Milky Way itself, the bulge is a bean-shaped bulge 10,000 light-years across.
The reason behind the name of the Milky Way
The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) states that our home galaxy is called the Milky Way or Milky Way in English, because it looks milky white when it extends into the night sky. In Greek mythology, this ribbon of milk appeared because the goddess Hera was sprinkling milk in the sky.
Different countries say Milky Way galaxy with different terms. In China, for example, it is called the “Silver River” and in the Kalahari Desert in South Africa it is called the “Backbone of the night”.
Watch videos”Scientists reveal interesting discoveries about stars in the Milky Way“
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(kri / faz)
