What do other galaxies have in common with the Milky Way galaxy?
Our galaxy, the Milky Way, is typical: it has hundreds of billions of stars, enough gas and dust to make billions more stars, and at least ten times as much dark matter as all the stars and gas put together. Other galaxies have elliptical shapes, and a few have unusual shapes like toothpicks or rings.
How is the sun related to the Milky Way galaxy?
Bottom line: The sun is about 1/3 the distance from the center of the Milky Way galaxy to its outer edges. It’s located in a smaller spiral arm, between two large arms, called the Orion Arm.
Does every star have a sun?
The Difference Between a Sun and a Star Namely, every Sun is a star, but not every star is a Sun. The Sun is larger and as such a lot brighter than most stars. There are billions of Suns in our galaxy alone and as mentioned, many of the stars we see are also Suns.
Is every star in our galaxy a sun?
Our planetary system is the only one officially called “solar system,” but astronomers have discovered more than 3,200 other stars with planets orbiting them in our galaxy. That’s just how many we’ve found so far. Our Sun is just one of about 200 billion stars in our galaxy.
How many stars are in the Milky Way galaxy?
There are billions more stars in the Milky Way galaxy – the galaxy we call home. And there are many, many more in the rest of the universe. Is our Sun special?
Is the Sun in the center of the Milky Way?
Yes, the Sun – in fact, our whole solar system – orbits around the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. We are moving at an average velocity of 828,000 km/hr.
Are there any galaxies outside the Milky Way?
From the Northern Hemisphere, the only galaxy outside our Milky Way that’s easily visible to the eye is the great galaxy in the constellation Andromeda, also known as M31. More about the Andromeda galaxy at the bottom of this post. From the Southern Hemisphere, it’s possible to see two dwarf galaxies, the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds.
How can you tell the Milky Way from the sky?
With just your eyes, it is difficult to tell that the Milky Way is anything besides a faint, patchy glow. However, with even the smallest telescope or binoculars you can resolve this glow into stars. Below is an image taken as part of the 2MASS infrared survey of the sky that reveals the density of stars in the center of the Milky Way.