Concept in Definition ABC

The galaxy to which our planet earth belongs

The concept that we will deal with below has a use excluding and extended in the field of Astronomy. Because the Milky Way is a galaxy, but not just any galaxy, but rather the one that is closely linked to our planet earth since the Solar system and the planet that we all inhabit.

What are galaxies? Main features

Galaxies are groupings of stars, dust, nebulae, and gases, planets, among others, and that extend throughout the universe.

Galaxies are classified depending on their physical form in appearance, that is, depending on the morphology visual that they display. Thus we will find elliptical galaxies that, as their name anticipates, have a luminous profile such as an ellipse.
On the other hand, there are spiral galaxies that have a Format circular and a structure of curved arms that are wrapped with powder.
Then there are the so-called unusual galaxies because they are the result of disturbances generated by the attraction

gravitational force of the galaxies that are around it.
And small galaxies do not have a defined structure and are often included in the previous group.

The Milky Way a barred spiral galaxy

In the specific case of the Milky Way, it is a barred spiral galaxy that has a central band of very, very bright stars that covers the galaxy from side to side. The arms, typical of this class of galaxy, emerge from the end of the bar.

Main physical characteristics of the Milky Way

The Milky Way is that galaxy in which the solar system and planet earth meet, its appearance is that of a wide strip diffuse white light obliquely passing through most of the celestial sphere and when viewed through a telescope It is discovered that it is composed of an infinity of stars, approximately, the calculation says that there are between 200 and 400 million stars.
Its distance from the sun is 27,700 light years.
On the other hand, the Milky Way is part of a group of galaxies, about forty approximately, known as local group and it is the second most important group in terms of brightness and size, after the Andromeda Galaxy.

Origin of its name

The reason for its name has an authentic mythological origin... in Latin, the milky way refers to the milk road and this, broadly imaginative, is the appearance that this galaxy has and in this way it was recognized by the Greek mythology opportunely, which maintained that it was milk spilled on the breast of the goddess Hera, wife of the god Zeus, who refused to breastfeed her little son Hercules as a consequence that it was the fruit of an adventure that had Dyed... and the legend was installed, because they say that one day they brought the child to her breast while Hera was sleeping, but suddenly she woke up and found the aforementioned situation, then, he gently withdrew it from her nipple and thus his bed spilled through the skies, giving rise to what today we know as the dairy.

Although not only through mythology man explained the phenomena at that time, thus Democritus, a well-known astronomer, between the 5th and 4th centuries BC, he was already talking about the Milky Way in terms of the concentration of many, many stars. However, many, many years had to pass for his opinion to be valued. would be the astronomer Galileo Galilei, who through the use of the telescope would demonstrate what Democritus proposed.

The visual phenomenon that it represents is due to the stars, as we mentioned, and also to other types of materials that are just above the plane of the galaxy.

The galaxy lies composed of three parts: halo (sphere-shaped structure that surrounds the galaxy), disk (made up of young stars from population I) and bulb (It is located right in the center and is where the highest concentration of stars is).

We must also mention that the terrestrial galaxy has a series of satellite galaxies, which are characterized by orbiting around it as a result of the action of gravity. The Large Magellanic Cloud is the most important satellite galaxy in the Milky Way. It is the closest to it and is easily visible.

Themes in Milky Way