US, WASHINGTON (ORDO NEWS) — As a recent study showed, our galaxy has a length of 1.9 million light years. This proves that in fact the Milky Way is much larger than previously believed by scientists. It is about 15 times wider than its spiral disk.
Thanks to new data, astronomers will soon be able to estimate the approximate mass of our galaxy.
Scientists have long known that the brightest part of our galaxy is a fairly large disk, in the middle of which is the sun. The approximate diameter of this disk is 120 thousand light years. Around it lies a gas disk, and behind it another one, which consists of invisible particles and extends over a huge distance.
Astrophysicist Alice Dyson took into account in his study those galaxies that are nearby to determine the size of the Milky Way. According to the results of the study, about 1.9 million light-years were obtained.
Scientists additionally made a computer model of how galaxies like the Milky Way can form. This model showed that where the dark disk ends, the speed of small galaxies located nearby is significantly reduced. Thanks to new data, scientists hope to learn more about the properties and features of the Milky Way.
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