6 Random Facts about the Milky Way Galaxy
Most of us know that we live in a galaxy known as the Milky Way. However, not many of us really know very much about our own galaxy. Here are 6 interesting and random facts about the Milky Way Galaxy that will help expand your knowledge about it.
- Any stars that you can see in the night sky without the aid of a telescope are part of the Milky Way.
- It is estimated that the Milky Way contains between 200 and 400 billion stars.
- Our solar system makes up an extremely tiny part of the Milky Way – if you imagine our solar system were the size of a US quarter, the entire Milky Way would be almost half the size of the United States!
- Edwin Hubble is credited as conclusively defining the shape and scope of our galaxy through the use of telescopes.
- The size of the Milky Way is approximately 100,000 light-years in diameter.
- The mass of our galaxy is estimated at 5.8 × 1011 solar masses. A solar mass is a unit of mass equivalent to the mass of our Sun.
this has saved me so much time and effort on my project!!!!!!!!
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also is earth part of the milky way?
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without the milky way we wouldent exist.
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the milky way is a wonderful place and it is soooooo beautiful!!!!!!!!!!
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There is so much to be leatned about our universe. Our planet is so tiny compared to the sun, which is a star. Since there are billions of stars, that means that they all probably have their own solar systems similiar to our own. If earth were a small gumball, the Sun would be the size of a tennis ball! BUT our sun is a small star, so you need to compare it against Betelgeuse, a supergiant star. In comparison, the sun is the tennis ball, but they are a basketball. We really are that small, each of us is a miniscule dot on a dot on a dot. It is awe inspiring and humbling at the same time. We live in an amazing world!
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Rosie replied:
January 14th, 2013 at 6:40 am
yes I agree and the sun is a tiny dot compared to VYCanis Majoris, and VY Canis Majoris is a tiny dot compared to out beautiful milky way.
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wow helped me with my projects
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Awesome work!!!
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i love the milky ways
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It helps me with my inquiries. 🙂
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That was very interesting I learned a lot. I had a homework assignment on facts of the milky way who knew the Milky Way is about 100,000 light years in diameter!!!
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omg this is so cool i love this website
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Is it yet known what is at the center of the milky way? is it a massive sun or something else?
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Greg - Staff Writer replied:
December 3rd, 2012 at 8:20 am
Hi James – The answer to our question can be found here:
Thanks for the question.
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I like this a lot
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Very cool.
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you could fit 1 million earths in the sun.
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The Milky Way is a spiral galaxy which formed about 14 billion years ago, and looks like a pinwheel. Rotating in space, dust gas and stars fan out from the center of the milky way in long spiraling arms. Our galaxy is made out of dust and gas called nebula,stars,comets meteors,asteroids and planets. our own sun and solar system are a part of the Milky Way Galaxy. our solar system is is about 12,000 light years from the center of the Galaxy. The sun travels around the center of the milky way taking about 250 million years to complete an orbit. All objects in the milky way rotate in the Galaxy’s center. ~The Milky Way is amazing!~
~ I hope the extra facts i put in help you ~
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this facts are amzing. i was surprised that somebody can find soo amazing facts or points.
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Those are silly facts in a funny way.
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