The Milky Way galaxy is home to our solar system and contains approximately 100 billion stars. While astronomers have estimated the number of stars, the galaxy's exact mass is still unknown due to the presence of dark matter, which accounts for over 80% of the galaxy's mass. In a few billion years, the Milky Way galaxy will collide with the neighboring Andromeda galaxy. The document discusses several other interesting facts about the Milky Way galaxy's composition and future collision with Andromeda.
3. The Milky Way galaxy is home to our solar
system. The sun and all the planets around it
are just a fraction of what is known to the
world as the Milky Way galaxy. This galaxy
measures between 120,000-180,000 light years.
Let’s take a look at some interesting facts about
the Milky Way Galaxy.
4. Counting stars in a galaxy is a difficult job. For
years, astronomers have been arguing about the
best way to count stars and have not reached a
conclusive finding. The telescopes can only see the
stars that shine the brightest, but some stars are
hidden behind dust and gases. According to a
satellite of the European Space agency, there are
one billion stars in the Milky Way. However,
scientists believe that this number is just one
percent of the actual number of stars. Keeping this
belief in view, there are approximately a 100
billion stars in the Milky Way Galaxy.
5. Astronomers still do not know how much this
galaxy weighs. Some estimates suggest that the
weight of this galaxy is between 700 billion to 2
trillion times the mass of the sun. More than
80% of Milky Way’s mass is dark matter. Being
dark in color, it cannot be observed directly. In
a study conducted by University of Arizona,
the mass of the Milky Way was estimated to be
more than 900 billion times the mass of the sun.
6. In the 16th century, a Portuguese explorer
named Ferdinand Magellan sailed through the
southern hemisphere. According to a European
observatory, Magellan and his crew were the
first group of individuals who noticed circular
clusters of stars in the night sky. These clusters
aren’t mere groups of stars but small galaxies
also known as dwarf galaxies. They revolve
around the Milky Way and sometimes even
collide with it.
7. Approximately 300 billion stars and about 100
billion planets are believed to be in the Milky
Way galaxy. The Milky Way may also contains
a billion neutron stars, about ten billion white
dwarfs and a hundred million black holes.
Interstellar medium, which is a disk of gas and
dust fills the space between the stars.
According to a recent study, grease like
substances account for more than a quarter of
the interstellar carbon in the Milky Way. The
carbon present in the Milky Way suggests that
there is life in other star systems.
8. Sadly, a time will come when this galaxy will come
to its end. Scientists say that our galaxy is racing
towards its neighbor galaxy at a pace of 250,000
miles per hour. In the next 4 billion years, this
galaxy will crash against its neighboring galaxy
known as the Andromeda and be consumed by it.
These are just some of the many facts about the
Milky Way. Numerous studies are being
conducted to gather and understand more
information about this fascinating galaxy that we
call home.
9. Amita Vadlamudi is an Astronomy enthusiast. Ms.
Vadlamudi has written many articles on the subject of
Astronomy on several of her web sites. Following are a few
examples:
Amita Vadlamudi on Slideshare:
https://www.slideshare.net/amitavadlamudi/jupiter-the-
largest-planet-in-the-solar-system
https://www.slideshare.net/amitavadlamudi/mars-our-
neighbor-red-planet
https://www.slideshare.net/amitavadlamudi/an-
exploration-of-the-comet
https://www.slideshare.net/amitavadlamudi/solar-
systems-most-enigmatic-planet-saturn