Quck answer
The Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy located in the Local Group of galaxies. It is estimated to be about 100,000 light-years in diameter and contains billions of stars, including our own Sun. Our solar system is located within the Milky Way, about two-thirds of the way from the center to the edge of the galactic disk. From Earth’s perspective, the Milky Way appears as a band of light stretching across the night sky. Its precise location can vary depending on the observer’s position and the time of year. Overall, the Milky Way is an integral part of our cosmic neighborhood.
Where do you reside? If someone asked you that question, you might reply with the name of the street you live on. Alternatively, you might inform them of the town you come from. If you are on vacation, you might even mention your state or country.
But what if aliens asked you? If you told them Earth, they might have no clue about its whereabouts. You might have to explain to them the galaxy you inhabit. Have you ever considered yourself as a resident of a galaxy? Well, you are! And it is called the Milky Way.
A galaxy is an enormous collection of stars that are held together by gravity. How enormous? Consider this: Our star—the Sun—is just one out of approximately 200 billion stars in the Milky Way! Almost everything we can observe in the sky is part of our galaxy.
The Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy. This indicates that it resembles a thin disk with arms that extend outward in a spiral shape. Our solar system can be found on the outer edge of the galaxy, situated on one of the spiral arms.
The Sun is approximately 25,000 light years away from the center of the Milky Way. Overall, the Milky Way has a width of 80,000-120,000 light years, but it is only about 7,000 light years thick.
It is difficult to comprehend these measurements. You can think of the size of the Milky Way in this manner: If you were to reduce it to the size of a football field, our solar system would be comparable to a grain of sand located at one of the outer edges.
Our solar system orbits around the Milky Way at a speed of about 155 miles per second. That is incredibly fast! However, the Milky Way is so immense that it still takes our solar system approximately 200-250 million years to complete one orbit around it!
Occasionally, you may come across pictures of the Milky Way. These are not actual photographs because we have never sent a spacecraft beyond the Milky Way. Nevertheless, special telescopes enable astronomers to acquire a wealth of information about our galaxy. Its hazy, “milky” appearance gave it its name.
As vast as the Milky Way is, it is only one member of a collection of galaxies that astronomers refer to as the Local Group. To make you feel even more insignificant, astronomer Edwin Hubble demonstrated in the 1920s that the Milky Way is just one out of approximately 200 billion galaxies in the universe!
And, in terms of galaxies, the Milky Way is not even close to being the largest. Astronomers believe that the nearby Andromeda Galaxy contains as many as one trillion stars! Will humans ever visit Andromeda? Perhaps! From there, maybe we will venture even further into the remote regions of the universe.
Give It a Try
Are you prepared to explore your galaxy? Enlist the assistance of a friend or family member to accompany you in trying out the following activities:
If you want to explore the Milky Way, you don’t need a spacesuit. Just use a computer and go online to find one of these sky tours. If you could go anywhere in the Milky Way, where would you choose and why?
If you’re interested in seeing more pictures of the Milky Way taken by NASA, check out these amazing online photo galleries. It’s fascinating how telescopes can capture images of objects so far away. Which of these pictures do you find the most intriguing? Explain to a friend or family member what you learned about the photographed object.
We find it fascinating how the pictures of the Milky Way resemble art. If you want to create your own version of the Milky Way, follow the instructions to make a Glitter Galaxy Craft! Can you make yours look like the Milky Way?
Sources of Wonder:
– http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milky_Way (accessed 21 July 2020)
– http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/milkyway.html (accessed 21 July 2020)
– http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/universe/rel_milkyway.html (accessed 21 July 2020)
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