7 Amazing Facts About the Milky Way
Fact 1: Our Galactic Home
The Milky Way is the galaxy that contains our Solar System, with the name describing the galaxy’s appearance as a dim, milky band of light in the night sky.
Fact 2: Billions of Stars
The Milky Way is estimated to contain between 100 billion and 400 billion stars, along with countless planets, asteroids, and other celestial bodies.
Fact 3: Spiral Galaxy
It is a barred spiral galaxy, with a central bar-shaped structure of stars and sprawling spiral arms extending outward.
Fact 4: Supermassive Black Hole
At the center of the Milky Way lies Sagittarius A*, a supermassive black hole with a mass of about 4 million suns.
Fact 5: Enormous Size
The Milky Way is about 100,000 light-years across, meaning light would take 100,000 years to travel from one side to the other.
Fact 6: Constantly Moving
Our Solar System orbits around the center of the Milky Way at an average speed of 828,000 km/h, taking roughly 225–250 million years to complete one orbit.
Fact 7: Part of a Larger Group
The Milky Way is part of the Local Group of galaxies, which includes Andromeda, the Triangulum Galaxy, and about 50 smaller galaxies.