Milky Way Galaxy Flashcards, test questions and answers
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What is Milky Way Galaxy?
The Milky Way Galaxy is a stunningly beautiful spiral galaxy located in the constellation of Sagittarius. It is a majestic sight to behold, with its billowing clouds of stars and glowing gas and dust. It is home to our solar system, containing an estimated 200400 billion stars, as well as nebulae, star clusters, and other objects. Our sun is just one star out of millions in this vast expanse. The Milky Way has been around for billions of years; the oldest stars in it are thought to be 13 billion years old. Its structure includes four arms that spiral out from a large central bulge two major arms (the Perseus arm and the Scutum-Centaurus arm) and two minor arms (the Norma arm and the Carina-Sagittarius arm). In addition to these four main arms are several smaller spirals formed through interactions with other galaxies in our local group. Our sun lies about 27,000 light years from the center of the Milky Way, which is occupied by a supermassive black hole known as Sagittarius A*. This black hole has a mass 4 million times greater than our sun’s. The outermost edge of the galaxy extends approximately 150-200 thousand light years away from its center quite an impressive span. The Milky Way contains an enormous range of cosmic marvels that will keep astronomers enthralled for generations to come. From bright nebulae illuminated by newborn stars to ancient globular clusters filled with some of the oldest stars we know about all tucked away within this incredible spiral galaxy. Exploring it further could lead us closer to unlocking some of astronomy’s greatest mysteries.