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Milky Way, our galaxy is full of mystery. Fact 2. Fact 14. Fact 35. They burn brighter and die out quicker. When she is not writing, she loves watching sci-fi movies on Netflix. Fact 33. Fact 8. 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. According to scientists, there are at least 100 billion planets hanging out there in our galactic home. According to Chinese mythology, this Silver River was put by the gods to deter a herdsman who was in love with a weaver woman who used to weave clothes for them. The Milky Way Galaxy is an immense and very interesting place. When it comes to our galaxy, about 90% of matter cannot be seen. The oldest star in our galactic home is at least 13.6 billion years. Milky Way Galaxy Facts The Milky Way Galaxy is our home galaxy in the universe. 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. (And Which Foods Do They Actually Like), How Do Birds Mate? This literally means “Ganga of the heavens.”. At that speed, an object would circumnavigate Earth’s equator in about 3 minutes. Since the dinosaurs became extinct, about 65 million years ago, the sun has traveled just about a third the way around the center of the Milky Way. Here are 10 interesting facts about our Milky. It is our home galaxy and one of the billions of galaxies in the universe. It was most probably formed soon after the Bing Bang. Fact 29. It would take a colossal amount of energy for a star to leave the Milky Way. So the Sun is present in the Milky way galaxy along with its member planets containing our home planet Earth. Our galaxy will collide with Andromeda Galaxy in about 5 billion years. Earth Eclipse. The galaxy has been growing ever since. Edwin Hubble (1889-1853) is recognized for discovering the scope and shape of the Milky Way. Fact 24. However, you can’t see that with your naked eye. Space discoveries about the universe and solar systems are always fascinating. It formed a little more than 13 billion years ago, just a few billion years after the Big Bang. Milky Way Galaxy, large spiral system consisting of several hundred billion stars, one of which is the Sun. Fact 40. The term “milky” is derived from the galaxy’s appearance from Earth – a band of light in the night sky formed from stars. We don’t know exactly, but we know it’s over 200 billion. But the stars in the arms are bigger. Besides rotation around the Milky Way’s center, the stars also oscillate, or move up and down, through the galaxy’s plane. The first stars to form were in globular clusters that still exist. The Milky Way is a spiral armed galaxy, and as is typical for about sixty-seven percent of those, ours is barred. This revised estimate is … It is called dark matter, and we have yet to understand its properties. This galaxy is a spiral or whirl shape and home to our planet and Sun. Fact 28. Democritus, a Greek philosopher who lived circa 460 BCE – 370 BCE, is the first person in the world to claim that Milky Way was composed of stars. Another Greek mythology says that the galaxy is the trail of ruins that the chariot of Sun God Helios left behind. Fact 12. 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 Local Group itself is part of a larger gathering of galaxies called the Virgo Supercluster of galaxies. This is how our galaxy gets its name—the “Milky Way.” Viewed from a distance, which of course no human being has ever done, our galaxy might look a bit like M31—the “Andromeda Galaxy” shown at right. The Milky Way’s central core contains a supermassive black hole. 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 … 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. According to scientists, about 7 new stars are born in the galaxy every single year. The Milky Way was born about 12.5 billion years ago and has been growing ever since. The name “milky way” was derived from the way it looks. It is currently acquiring stars from a very small galaxy called the Sagittarius Dwarf Spheroidal, as well as gobbling up material from the Magellanic Clouds. The galaxy is also surrounded by at least 150 ancient groups of stars. How do Rainbows Form? Fact 4. Facts about Milky Way Galaxy for Kids: Our Milky Way is warped! The center also boasts the highest concentration of stars as well as the most massive stars. Milky way gets bigger and … That said, let’s look at 40 interesting Milky Way galaxy facts. Fact 20. The Milky Way galaxy is a disc shaped spiral galaxy with a huge collection of stars, about 100-400 billion. In India, the galaxy has been referred to as Aakash Ganga. Some of the ancient stellar clusters are among the oldest in the universe. Fact 19. Andromeda, one of the other over 100 billion galaxies in the universe, is on a collision course with Milky Way. The dark matter halo around the Milky Way may span as much as 2 million light years. This galaxy is about 25,000 light years away from earth, making it the closest galaxy from the earth. Fact 7. Fact 36. Milky Way facts The Milky Way contains over 200 billion stars, and enough dust and gas to make billions more. The pictures you see are either artist’s impressions or images of other galaxies. The artist's concept also includes a new spiral arm, called the "Far-3 kiloparsec arm," discovered via a radio-telescope survey of gas in the Milky Way. Optical telescopes that detect only visible light can’t penetrate the thick clouds of dust and gas. (And Do They Mate With Other Species). 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. 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 Local Group is, in turn, a part of a Local Supercluster, which encompasses several clusters of galaxies like the Local Group. Milky Way Facts The Milky Way is one of many galaxies that lie in the universe. Fact 1. The Milky Way holds every alien planet humans have ever spotted, and the billions more that likely exist in the galaxy. That means all you can see, even with a telescope, is less than 10% of the Milky Way’s mass. Fact 23. The disk is not perfectly flat though, it is warped due to our neighboring galaxies Large and Small Magellanic clouds. (And Almond Butter), Oceanography vs Marine Biology (Are They Same or Different), 30+ Exhilarating Facts About the Solar System, Can Squirrels Eat Bread? Our milky way galaxy is around 12.8 billion years old, whereas the universe origin age is around 13.7 billion years. 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. 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 … Our galaxy contains over 100 billion stars; the Bible says that God calls them all by their names (Psalms 147:4; Isaiah 40:26). The Milky Way has grown by merging with other galaxies through time. Fact 38. 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. It is estimated to contain 100–400 billion stars and at least that number of planets. Just in our own Milky Way Galaxy, we have numerous suns, planets, solar systems, comets, black holes, and so much more. 35 Fascinating Facts About the Milky Way. One Local Supercluster is about 10 million light-years from the other. Fact 22. The Andromeda Galaxy is part of this group as are numerous smaller galaxies, including the Magellanic Clouds. A recent observation using the Green Bank Telescope showed that at least 100 hydrogen gas clouds are fleeing the Milky Way’s core at about 738,000 miles per hour. Stars must attain speeds of 1 million miles per hour faster than the 600,000 miles per hour at which objects already move around the galaxy. Fact 5. How Does Photosynthesis Take Place in Desert Plants? The galaxy has been growing ever since. If the Milky Way’s diameter was the same as that of a Frisbee, the disk would be as thick as a sheet of paper. It is commonly referred to as Sagittarius A*. 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. Such a brilliant band of dense stars was, of course, noteworthy to ancient peoples and many cultures had legends around the visible portion of our galaxy. The galaxy’s central core has a supermassive black hole, which contains the mass of roughly 4.3 million Suns. The Ancient Greeks also looked upon the Milky Way as a road that led to Mount Olympus. Fact 6. It is also known as Sagittarius. All Rights Reserved . The Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy that has curved arms that spin out from its center. The milky way is a spiral shaped Galaxy containing upto 400 billion stars that also includes our own star the Sun. It contains the mass of about 4.3 million Suns. The Small and Large Magellanic clouds are two … There are as many stars in the arms of the galaxy’s spiral as anywhere else. It is suspected that such bars are the consequence of a galaxy drawing gas from its spirals into its heart, but as the density of the bars increase over the millennia their own gravity destroys them resulting in spirals without bars. 10 Interesting Facts About the Milky Way The Milky Way Galaxy is an immense and very interesting place. The galaxy has a halo of dark matter that makes at least 90% of its mass. Sonia Madaan is a writer and founding editor of science education blog EarthEclipse. 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. Fact 25. The Sun and all the planets around it are part of what is known as the Milky Way Galaxy. This implies astronomers have no pictures of the Milky Way as a whole. Not only does it measure some 100,000–120,000 light-years in diameter, it … 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. Everything that we can see is luminous matter, and it represents only 10% of the Milky Way. Facts About The Milky Way Galaxy The Milky Way is about 26,000 light-years away from Galaxy Earth. (And Which Foods to Avoid), Can Squirrels Eat Raisins? Astronomers discovered it was barred (meaning the center is bar-shaped) rather than an ordinary spiral galaxy (meaning the center is a spherical bulge) in … In fact, it is a cannibal galaxy that feeds on other surrounding and small galaxies. Space facts about the milky way galaxy. The solar system lies about 30,000 … (And Process of Formation), Causes and Effects of Marine Habitat Loss, Advantages and Importance of Reforestation, Five Different Atmospheric Layers of the Earth, Causes and Effects of Ozone Layer Depletion, Extraordinary Ways to Protect Coral Reefs, Causes and Effects to Environmental Pollution, Causes and Effects of Ocean Acidification. The Chinese call the Milky Way the Silver River. (Albinism), Can Squirrels Eat Almonds? The center of the galaxy is full of mostly old stars while the spiral arms contain newer stars. Even our solar system is one of many in the Milky Way Galaxy, 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. Traveling toward each other at 250,000 miles an hour, the two spiral galaxies will collide in about 5 billion years. Milky Way is a part of a cluster of galaxies called the Local Group, which comprises about 40 galaxies. Fact 34. The Milky Way is a disk that measures about 120,000 light years across, with a central bulge that has a diameter of about 12,000 light years. Fact 13. It’s a fascinating galaxy loaded with facts that will blow your mind away. Fact 3. Fact 39. The stars, dust, and gas of the Milky Way galaxy all orbit the center at a velocity of about 136 miles per second. Our Milky Way galaxy resides on the inner edge of one of the spiral-shaped bands of gas and dust particles called the Orion Arm. The Milky Way travels through space at a speed of about 343 miles per second with regard to the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation. Measuring some 120,000–180,000 light-years in diameter, our Solar System stays roughly 27,000 light-years away from the Galactic Center. 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. Pictures of the Milky Way can only be taken from inside the galaxy. Earth is actually situated in one of the extensions of the Milky Way, away from its center. we believe that the universe consists of several hundred billion galaxies, though their estimation is a difficult The term “milky” is derived from the galaxy’s appearance from Earth – a band of light in the night sky formed from stars. The Milky Way has an invisible halo. 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. It takes its name from the Milky Way, the irregular luminous band of stars and gas clouds that stretches across the sky as seen from Earth. The Milky Way appears as a band as its disk-shaped structure is viewed from within. 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. 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 Milky Way began as a series of dense regions in the early universe not long after the Big Bang. There is an extremely thick bulge at the very center of the Milky Way. Fact 15. Fact 16. Milky Way galaxy took birth some 12.5 billion years ago – give or take 3 billion years. Fact 27. She loves writing on topics related to space, environment, chemistry, biology, geology and geography. At a speed of 514,000 miles per hour, it takes about 250 million years for our solar system to complete one galactic year, which is one trip around the galaxy. Proxima Centauri is the Earth’s closest star in the Milky Way. Not only does it measure some 120,000–180,000 light-years in diameter, it … In 1610 Galileo Galilei pointed his telescope in the sky and saw thousands of stars. They are among the oldest stars formed in the Milky Way region. Milky Way Galaxy Facts If you look up at the night sky, everything that you see is within our galaxy the Milky way. When studying the Milky Way, Astronomers must use telescopes that detect radio waves, x-rays, and infrared light. The galactic centre, which is located about 26,000 light-years from Earth, contains at least one supermassive black hole (called Sagittarius A*), and is crossed by a bar. Her passion for science education drove her to start EarthEclipse with the sole objective of finding and sharing fun and interesting science facts. The ancients knew about the Milky Way, but they did not know what it was exactly. When we think of where we are in the entire universe, our planet is just one a small speck. 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. The Milky Way began forming around 12 billion years ago and is part of a group of about 50 galaxies called the Local Group. Aluminum-26 isotope is normally found in an area where a star takes birth or dies. On a dark night, the dense … Some astronomers refer to our two galaxy as a binary system of giant spirals. Fact 10. © 2020 . Looking up at the night sky, all the visible stars you see are part of the Milky Way Galaxy. They live in the Milky Way’s halo and orbit the galactic center. Fact 17. Fact 21. Fact 30. This constant rate for all stars at different distances from the core implies the existence of a shell of dark matter surrounding our galaxy. Milky Way Galaxy Facts: 1. This bulge is caused by hydrogen and it extends out on either side of the spiral galaxy’s two-dimensional plane. Fact 18. Fact 11. 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