Milky Way - Wikipedia
It takes the Solar System about 240 million years to complete one orbit of the Milky Way (a galactic year), [112] so the Sun is thought to have completed 18–20 orbits during its lifetime and 1/1250 of a revolution since the origin of humans.
The Milky Way Galaxy - NASA Science
Nov 8, 2017 · Using infrared images from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, scientists have discovered that the Milky Way's elegant spiral structure is dominated by just two arms wrapping off the ends of a central bar of stars. Previously, our galaxy was thought to …
Milky Way Galaxy | Size, Definition, & Facts | Britannica
Dec 27, 2024 · Milky Way Galaxy (sometimes simply called the Galaxy), large spiral system of about several hundred billion stars, one of which is the Sun. It takes its name from the Milky Way, the irregular luminous band of stars and gas clouds …
Solar System, Galaxy, Universe: What’s the Difference? - Science@NASA
Jun 1, 2017 · Our Solar System consists of our star, the Sun, and its orbiting planets (including Earth), along with numerous moons, asteroids, comet material, rocks, and dust. Our Sun is just one star among the hundreds of billions of stars in our Milky Way Galaxy.
Solar System Exploration - NASA Science
Meet Me in the Milky Way. Our solar system is in one of the Milky Way galaxy’s spiral arms called the Orion Spur. 5. A Long Way Around. Our solar system takes about 230 million years to orbit the galactic center. 6. Spiraling Through Space. The Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy. 7. Diverse Atmospheres.
The Milky Way - NASA
Discover the mysteries of our home galaxy, the Milky Way, with NASA's in-depth exploration of its structure and composition.
The Milky Way Galaxy - Harvard & Smithsonian
Today, astronomers study the Milky Way to understand its history, structure, contents, and our place in the galaxy. Like most other large galaxies, the Milky Way harbors a supermassive black hole at its center. Known as Sagittarius A* — abbreviated as Sgr A* — this galaxy is about four million times the mass of the Sun.
Where Are We In The Milky Way | Milky Way Facts - Star Walk
Feb 25, 2022 · Our Sun is located nearly 27,000 light-years from the Milky Way’s nucleus, or about halfway between its center and the edge. Our Solar System is placed between two main arms — Scutum-Centaurus and Perseus, within the …
The Milky Way Galaxy - Imagine the Universe!
Oct 14, 2021 · Our solar system is 26,000 light-years from the center of the Galaxy. All objects in the Galaxy revolve around the Galaxy's center. It takes 250 million years for our Sun (and the Earth with it) to make one revolution around the center of the Milky Way. When you look up at the night sky, most of the stars you see are in one of the Milky Way arms.
Milky Way galaxy: Facts about our cosmic neighborhood | Space
Apr 18, 2023 · Just as Earth orbits the sun, the solar system orbits the center of the Milky Way. Despite hurtling through space at speeds of around 515,000mph (828,000kmph) our solar system takes...