The Milky way is our home Galaxy. Our Galaxy forms part of about 20 galaxies traveling through space together. On a grander scale , this group forms part of bigger cluster of 1000s of galaxies and on the biggest scale (at least , as far as we know now ) many such clusters make up the universe. A peculiar feature of this galaxy is a bright band of light that runs almost in a perfect circle through it. Milky war belongs to a cluster of some 24 galaxies called ‘ the local group’.
As seen from the earth this band looks like a river of light flowing through the sky. Actually it is made up of millions of scintillating stars which seen from far away, seem to be placed in closed proximity to one another. This river of light is known as Milky Way the term is now applied to the galaxy as a whole. The Milky Way is a spiral galaxy. The main body is a disk 100,000 light years across with a globular nucleus of about 16,000 light years in diameter(thick as its center) and far stretching spiral arms (in one of which our solar system is located ). The Milky Way consists of hundreds of billions of stars rotating about its center in a stately average period of some 230 million years.
Our galactic nucleus is about 32,000 light years from the sun. It appears to be a rotating disc of gas. In this rotating disc massive activities are going on. Here, new star being born continuously. The area is already crowded with full grown stars.
As seen from the earth this band looks like a river of light flowing through the sky. Actually it is made up of millions of scintillating stars which seen from far away, seem to be placed in closed proximity to one another. This river of light is known as Milky Way the term is now applied to the galaxy as a whole. The Milky Way is a spiral galaxy. The main body is a disk 100,000 light years across with a globular nucleus of about 16,000 light years in diameter(thick as its center) and far stretching spiral arms (in one of which our solar system is located ). The Milky Way consists of hundreds of billions of stars rotating about its center in a stately average period of some 230 million years.
Our galactic nucleus is about 32,000 light years from the sun. It appears to be a rotating disc of gas. In this rotating disc massive activities are going on. Here, new star being born continuously. The area is already crowded with full grown stars.
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