Earth is actually situated in one of the extensions of the Milky Way, away from its center. This constant rate for all stars at different distances from the core implies the existence of a shell of dark matter surrounding our galaxy. At that speed, an object would circumnavigate Earthâs equator in about 3 minutes. When studying the Milky Way, Astronomers must use telescopes that detect radio waves, x-rays, and infrared light. Fact 1. And they illuminate those around them, making the arms more visible. Pictures of the Milky Way can only be taken from inside the galaxy. The term “milky” is derived from the galaxy’s appearance from Earth – a band of light in the night sky formed from stars. we believe that the universe consists of several hundred billion galaxies, though their estimation is a difficult This revised estimate is … Two other galaxies are close to the Milky Way beside They are the Large Magellanic Cloud and Small Magellanic Cloud, which are about 170,000 light years away and 200,000 light years ways from the Milky Way, respectively. The Milky Way Galaxy is an immense and very interesting place. The Milky Way galaxy is a disc shaped spiral galaxy with a huge collection of stars, about 100-400 billion. Fact 19. Fact 28. Facts About The Milky Way Galaxy The Milky Way is about 26,000 light-years away from Galaxy Earth. The stars, dust, and gas of the Milky Way galaxy all orbit the center at a velocity of about 136 miles per second. On a dark night, the dense … The disk is not perfectly flat though, it is warped due to our neighboring galaxies Large and Small Magellanic clouds. Fact 31. In light of the fact that the Milky Way rotates at a rate of 168 miles per second, the actual spot you were in space an hour ago is now about 600,000 miles away. Fact 11. She loves writing on topics related to space, environment, chemistry, biology, geology and geography. A barred spiral with a diameter ranging from 100, 000 to 1800,000 light years, our galactic home is estimated to contain between 100 and 400 billion stars. The Romans call it the Milky Road as it reminded them about milk. It is called dark matter, and we have yet to understand its properties. Our solar system is a small part of the Milky Way galaxy, a collection of stars, gas and dust bound together by gravity and named for its appearance from Earth as a milky … The Milky Way is a spiral galaxy. Fact 14. It formed a little more than 13 billion years ago, just a few billion years after the Big Bang. The Sun and all the planets around it are part of what is known as the Milky Way Galaxy. So the universe is … They live in the Milky Wayâs halo and orbit the galactic center. Fact 23. If the solar system were the size of U.S. quarter, our galactic home would be about the size of the United States and the sun would be a minuscule speck of dust. While the Milky Way contains up to about 400 billion stars, you can only see 0.0000025% of all the stars when you look up the sky at night. The Local Group is, in turn, a part of a Local Supercluster, which encompasses several clusters of galaxies like the Local Group. The Milky Way began forming around 12 billion years ago and is part of a group of about 50 galaxies called the Local Group. (Albinism), Can Squirrels Eat Almonds? Space facts about the milky way galaxy. The Name ‘Milky Way’ is Ancient Before all of the light pollution from artificial lights, everyone on earth would have had a beautiful, unobstructed view of our home galaxy in the night sky. Fact 5. Galileo Galilei would later confirm Democritusâ claim in the 17th Galileo eventually used his telescope to verify that the light band that has been given various names such as Milky Circle and Silver River was actually the light produced by numerous individual stars. How do Rainbows Form? Sources: The Milky Way Galaxy – skysurvey.org, The Ultimate List of TV Shows set in Space or on Other Planets, The Planets and Moons of Star Wars to Scale. Just in our own Milky Way Galaxy, we have numerous suns, planets, solar systems, comets, black holes, and so much more. How Does Photosynthesis Take Place in Desert Plants? In Latin, our galaxy is called “via lactea” which literally meant a “milky way” or “milky road.” The word “galaxy” is derived from a Greek word for “milk.” In Greek mythology, the Milky Way was created when Hera spilled her milk while suckling Heracles. They burn brighter and die out quicker. Our galaxy has an estimated radius of 52,850 light years. A supernova explosion takes place in the Milky Way about every 200 years based on calculations made using the method of mapping aluminum-26 isotope. Milky Way Galaxy, large spiral system consisting of several hundred billion stars, one of which is the Sun. Fact 35. The Milky Way began as a series of dense regions in the early universe not long after the Big Bang. Fact 27. Fact 22. Facts about Milky Way Galaxy for Kids: Our Milky Way is warped! In 1610 Galileo Galilei pointed his telescope in the sky and saw thousands of stars. Milky Way Galaxy Facts: 1. The Local Group itself is part of a larger gathering of galaxies called the Virgo Supercluster of galaxies. Even our solar system is one of many in the Milky Way Galaxy, A new map of the Milky Way has put Earth 2,000 light years closer to the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy. The only thing that you can see outside of our galaxy without a telescope is the Andromeda galaxy. The Milky Way has an invisible halo. In fact, it is a cannibal galaxy that feeds on other surrounding and small galaxies. © 2020 . A recent observation using the Green Bank Telescope showed that at least 100 hydrogen gas clouds are fleeing the Milky Wayâs core at about 738,000 miles per hour. Fact 13. And that's a little less supermassive in Galactic Cred. The Milky Way appears as a band as its disk-shaped structure is viewed from within. The Chinese call the Milky Way the Silver River. If the Milky Wayâs diameter was the same as that of a Frisbee, the disk would be as thick as a sheet of paper. The solar system lies about 30,000 … The Andromeda Galaxy is part of this group as are numerous smaller galaxies, including the Magellanic Clouds. The Milky Way’s central core contains a supermassive black hole. The Small and Large Magellanic clouds are two … The galaxy has been growing ever since. That means all you can see, even with a telescope, is less than 10% of the Milky Wayâs mass. Traveling toward each other at 250,000 miles an hour, the two spiral galaxies will collide in about 5 billion years. The galaxy is also surrounded by at least 150 ancient groups of stars. Fact 21. Milky Way Facts The Milky Way is one of many galaxies that lie in the universe. The galaxy has a halo of dark matter that makes at least 90% of its mass. Edwin Hubble (1889-1853) is recognized for discovering the scope and shape of the Milky Way. Optical telescopes that detect only visible light canât penetrate the thick clouds of dust and gas. Andromeda, one of the other over 100 billion galaxies in the universe, is on a collision course with Milky Way. Check out these amazing facts about our massive galaxy, the Milky Way! Fact 8. Fact 16. Milky Way Galaxy Facts The Milky Way Galaxy is our home galaxy in the universe. The milky way is a spiral shaped Galaxy containing upto 400 billion stars that also includes our own star the Sun. Fact 37. The Milky Way is a spiral armed galaxy, and as is typical for about sixty-seven percent of those, ours is barred. Our milky way galaxy is around 12.8 billion years old, whereas the universe origin age is around 13.7 billion years. Milky Way facts The Milky Way contains over 200 billion stars, and enough dust and gas to make billions more. (And Can They Choke on Raisins), Can Squirrels Eat Popcorn? There is an extremely thick bulge at the very center of the Milky Way. There are as many stars in the arms of the galaxyâs spiral as anywhere else. While it’s easy to get caught up in life on Earth, our planet is only a very small part of our galaxy, known as the Milky Way. Fact 34. Fact 33. The pictures you see are either artist’s impressions or images of other galaxies. (And Almond Butter), Oceanography vs Marine Biology (Are They Same or Different), 30+ Exhilarating Facts About the Solar System, Can Squirrels Eat Bread? According to scientists, there are at least 100 billion planets hanging out there in our galactic home. The Milky Way moves through space at a velocity of about 552 kilometres per second (343 miles per second) with respect to the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation. When it comes to our galaxy, about 90% of matter cannot be seen. Fact 6. But the stars in the arms are bigger. The Ancient Greeks also looked upon the Milky Way as a road that led to Mount Olympus. 10 Interesting Facts About the Milky Way The Milky Way Galaxy is an immense and very interesting place. When she is not writing, she loves watching sci-fi movies on Netflix. The Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy composed of an estimated 300 billion stars, along with dust, gas, and celestial phenomena such as nebulae, all … The Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy that has curved arms that spin out from its center. Her passion for science education drove her to start EarthEclipse with the sole objective of finding and sharing fun and interesting science facts. Fact 26. The Milky Way travels through space at a speed of about 343 miles per second with regard to the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation. The galaxyâs central core has a supermassive black hole, which contains the mass of roughly 4.3 million Suns. It is a fairly typical barred spiral with four major arms in its disk, at least one spur, and a newly discovered outer arm. The distance between the topmost and bottom-most point of the bulge is about 10,000 light years. The center also boasts the highest concentration of stars as well as the most massive stars. The Milky Way’s center can be located in the direction of Sagittarius (Right Ascension = 19h / declination = “25”) The Milky Way’s size is about 30 kilo parsecs (100,000 light years) in diameter. Space discoveries about the universe and solar systems are always fascinating. The Milky Way Galaxy The major arms consist of the highest densities of both young and old stars; the minor arms are primarily filled with gas and pockets of star-forming activity. Proxima Centauri is the Earthâs closest star in the Milky Way. Milky Way is a part of a cluster of galaxies called the Local Group, which comprises about 40 galaxies. Fact 32. They are among the oldest stars formed in the Milky Way region. This galaxy is a spiral or whirl shape and home to our planet and Sun. This bulge is caused by hydrogen and it extends out on either side of the spiral galaxyâs two-dimensional plane. Fact 25. Itâs a fascinating galaxy loaded with facts that will blow your mind away. Interesting Facts about the Milky Way 1. Fact 12. Scientists have been studying the central bulge of our galaxy and has noted that the warped shape may be due to two of our galactic neighbors. 40 Interesting Facts About Milky Way Galaxy The Sun and all the planets around it are part of what is known as the Milky Way Galaxy. The sun — which itself is a star — and our solar system are all part of it. It is commonly referred to as Sagittarius A*. This galaxy is about 25,000 light years away from earth, making it the closest galaxy from the earth. Fact 24. When we think of where we are in the entire universe, our planet is just one a small speck. The center of the galaxy is full of mostly old stars while the spiral arms contain newer stars. The name “milky way” was derived from the way it looks. In India, the galaxy has been referred to as Aakash Ganga. Our galaxy contains over 100 billion stars; the Bible says that God calls them all by their names (Psalms 147:4; Isaiah 40:26). Sonia Madaan is a writer and founding editor of science education blog EarthEclipse. This constant velocity for all stars at different distances from the core indicates the presence of a shell of dark matter surrounding the galaxy. 35 Fascinating Facts About the Milky Way. The ancients knew about the Milky Way, but they did not know what it was exactly. Interesting Facts About The Milky Way Galaxy. The galaxy has been growing ever since. The Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy with an estimated visible diameter of 1.9 million light-years (ly), give or take 0.4 million light years. The distance of the solar system from the galactic center is about 30,000 light-years and about 20 light years from the plane of the galaxy. All Rights Reserved . The Milky Way has grown by merging with other galaxies through time. 20 Amazing Facts about the Milky Way Galaxy Video Milky Way Galaxy Fact 1 The Galaxy where we live is known as the Milky Way. Milky Way galaxy took birth some 12.5 billion years ago – give or take 3 billion years. Fact 4. T he Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy is the closest galaxy to the Milky Way because its stars are currently being added to the Milky Way’s disk. Fact 9. Another Greek mythology says that the galaxy is the trail of ruins that the chariot of Sun God Helios left behind. Earth Eclipse. The Milky Way Galaxy is our home galaxy in the universe. The ancient Greeks referred to our galactic home as Milky Circle, which was created after some milk spilled over accidentally when Hera was feeding suckling Heracles. The galaxy is estimated to be about 100,000 light years in diameter and 1,000 light years thick. Some of the ancient stellar clusters are among the oldest in the universe. 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