Milky Way Facts for Kids
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The Milky Way galaxy is home to our solar system and is the galaxy that we live in. It is composed of billions of stars, gas, and dust swirling around a central supermassive black hole. Let’s explore some fun facts about the Milky Way galaxy that kids will love!
1. Size
The Milky Way is enormous and is estimated to be more than 100,000 light-years in diameter. This means that if you could travel at the speed of light, it would take 100,000 years to cross the galaxy from one end to the other.
2. Stars
The Milky Way galaxy is made up of billions of stars, including our own sun. Astronomers estimate that there are approximately 100 billion stars in our galaxy alone! These stars come in all different shapes, sizes, and colors.
3. Galactic Center
At the center of the Milky Way galaxy, there is a supermassive black hole that is estimated to be four million times the mass of our sun. The gravity from this black hole is so strong that it causes stars to orbit around it at incredibly fast speeds.
4. Halo
The Milky Way has a halo of gas and dust that surrounds it. This halo is made up of both dark matter, which is a type of invisible mass that makes up about 85% of the universe, and normal matter, like gas and dust.
5. Milky Way’s Age
The Milky Way galaxy is estimated to be around 13.6 billion years old. This means that it has been around for nearly the entire history of the universe!
6. Milky Way’s Shape
The Milky Way is a spiral galaxy, which means that it has spiral arms that spiral out from the center of the galaxy. These arms are made up of gas, dust, and stars, and they are where most of the star formation in the galaxy takes place.
7. Milky Way’s Companion Galaxies
The Milky Way has several companion galaxies, including the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. Astronomers believe that these dwarf galaxies are gravitationally bound to the Milky Way and will eventually merge with our galaxy in the future.