Difference between revisions of "Milky Way"
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The '''Milky Way''' is a barred-spiral [[galaxy]] approximately 250-300 thousand [[light-year]]s in circumference and containing 200-400 billion stars. The [[Sol]] system, containing the planet [[Earth]], is located in one of the Milky Way's spiral arms. | [[File:Milky way galaxy.jpg|thumb|right|The Milky Way (with Earth's location)]]The '''Milky Way''' is a barred-spiral [[galaxy]] approximately 250-300 thousand [[light-year]]s in circumference and containing 200-400 billion stars. The [[Sol]] system, containing the planet [[Earth]], is located in one of the Milky Way's spiral arms. | ||
==Debate Use== | ==Debate Use== | ||
Latest revision as of 23:23, 16 April 2020
The Milky Way is a barred-spiral galaxy approximately 250-300 thousand light-years in circumference and containing 200-400 billion stars. The Sol system, containing the planet Earth, is located in one of the Milky Way's spiral arms.
Debate Use
The Milky Way is often used as a model when estimating interstellar travel distances. For instance, if a trip is described as going from the "core" of a galaxy to the "rim" of the galaxy, the distance can be estimated to be a significant fraction of the 50-60 thousand light-year radius of the Milky Way.
For many science fiction settings (including Star Trek), the Milky Way is the actual galaxy in which events occur, making its features even more relevant to debates involving them.
Star Trek
In Star Trek, Federation maps of the galaxy divide it into four quadrants.