Incredible Facts You Didn't Know About Our Galaxy
The Milky Way galaxy, where we call home, is a vast and mysterious place. Here are some incredible facts about our galaxy that you may not have known.
The Size of the Milky Way
The Milky Way is huge! Its diameter is estimated to be around 100,000 light-years, and it contains an estimated 100 billion stars. It is also estimated to have between 100 and 400 billion planets.
The Galactic Center
At the center of the Milky Way is a supermassive black hole called Sagittarius A. This black hole is estimated to have a mass of around 4 million times that of our sun. There is also a cluster of stars surrounding the black hole called the Sagittarius A star cluster.
The Halo
The Milky Way has something called a "halo," which is a spherical region surrounding the galaxy that contains mostly dark matter. This halo is estimated to be around 10 times the diameter of the Milky Way itself.
The Speed of the Sun
Did you know that the sun is moving around the center of the Milky Way at a speed of around 514,000 miles per hour? That's right; it's moving that fast, and it takes the sun around 225-250 million years to complete one orbit around the center of the galaxy.
Galactic Cannibalism
Galactic cannibalism is a process in which galaxies consume other galaxies. Our Milky Way is currently in the process of consuming several other smaller galaxies, including the Canis Major Dwarf, the Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy, and the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds.
The Great Attractor
The Great Attractor is a gravitational anomaly located in the direction of the Centaurus constellation. It is believed to be about 150 million light-years away from us and is pulling our galaxy, along with thousands of other galaxies, towards it.
In conclusion, the Milky Way galaxy is full of surprises and mysteries. Exploring the vast and complex universe is an exciting journey that never ends.