Galaxies, Nebulae, Voids, etc. Flashcards
Milky Way galaxy type:
SBc (barred spiral galaxy)
Milky Way galaxy diameter:
100-120 kly (31-37 kpc)
Milky Way thickness:
1 kly (0.3 kpc)
Number of stars in the Milky Way:
100–400 billion (1–4 x 10^11) stars
Oldest known star in the Milky Way:
13.2 Gyr
Mass of the Milky Way:
1.0–1.5 x 10^12 M☉
Sun’s distance to Milky Way’s Galactic Center:
27.2 ± 1.1 kly (8.3 ± 0.34 kpc)
Sun’s Galactic rotation period:
200 Myr (negative rotation)
Spiral pattern rotation period of Milky Way:
50 Myr
Bar pattern rotation period of Milky Way:
15–18 Myr
Speed relative to CMB rest frame of Milky Way:
552 ± 6 km/s
Galactic year (cosmic year)
the duration of time required for the Solar System to orbit once around the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. Estimates of the length of one orbit range from 225 to 250 million “terrestrial” years. According to NASA, the Solar System is traveling at an average speed of 828,000 km/h (230 km/s) or 514,000 mph (143 mi/s), which is about one 1300th of the speed of light. If you could travel at that speed in a jet aircraft along the equator, you would go all the way around the world in approximately 2 minutes and 54 seconds. According to NASA, even at this incredible speed, it still takes the solar system 230 million years to orbit the center of the Milky Way Galaxy one time.
Timeline of universe’s and earth’s history in galactic years:
- about 61 galactic years ago–Big Bang
- about 54 galactic years ago–Birth of the Milky Way
- 18.4 galactic years ago–Birth of the Sun
- 17–18 galactic years ago–Oceans appear on Earth
- 15 galactic years ago–Life begins on Earth
- 14 galactic years ago–Prokaryotes appear
- 13 galactic years ago–Bacteria appear
- 10 galactic years ago–Stable continents appear
- 7 galactic years ago–Eukaryotes appear
- 6.8 galactic years ago–Multicellular organisms appear
- 2.8 galactic years ago–Cambrian explosion
- 1 galactic year ago–Permian–Triassic extinction event
- 0.26 galactic year ago–Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event
- 0.001 galactic year ago–Appearance of modern humans
The Milky Way is located in the centre of which constellation?
Sagittarius
Andromeda Galaxy is located in which constellation?
Andromeda
Bode’s Galaxy is located in which constellation?
Ursa Major
Cartwheel Galaxy is located in which constellation?
Sculptor
Cigar Galaxy is located in which constellation?
Ursa Major
Comet Galaxy is located in which constellation?
Sculptor
Hoag’s Object is located in which constellation?
Serpens Caput
Large Magellanic Cloud is located in which constellation?
Dorado/Mensa
Small Magellanic Cloud is located in which constellation?
Tucana
Mayall’s Object is located in which constellation?
Ursa Major
Pinwheel Galaxy is located in which constellation?
Ursa Major
Sombrero Galaxy is located in which constellation?
Virgo
Sunflower Galaxy is located in which constellation?
Canes Venatici
Tadpole Galaxy is located in which constellation?
Draco
Whirlpool Galaxy is located in which constellation?
Canes Venatici
What is the apparent magnitude of the Milky Way?
-26.74 (the Sun)