The Milky Way is a massive galaxy and is considered one of the most important galaxies in the universe that humans inhabit.
Size of the Milky Way
The Milky Way is a spiral galaxy containing tens of billions of planets, along with a vast amount of gas and dust. The diameter of the Milky Way is approximately 100,000 light-years (according to experimental measurements, light travels in a vacuum at about 300,000 km/s, making one light-year equal to about 9.5 trillion kilometers).
If we consider the Milky Way as a gigantic disk, then our Solar System resides at the edge of this disk.
The core of the Milky Way, the galactic center, is about 25,000 light-years away from the Solar System. This central region is very bright and contains a supermassive black hole along with areas where a large number of planets are formed.
Stars in the universe are often formed in clusters that are close to each other; these stars are like biological siblings because they are created from the same cloud of gas and dust, thus having similar chemical compositions.
The size and shape of the Milky Way have long been topics of vibrant research among astronomers. Initially, astronomers attempted to measure the size and shape of the Milky Way by observing stars and star clusters in the night sky.
However, with technological advancements such as the use of telescopes and satellite detectors, astronomers have been able to measure the size of the Milky Way more accurately.
For example, using the CHEOPS telescope from the European Space Agency, scientists have measured the mass and density distribution of the Milky Way. In recent years, astronomers have also employed the “drifting parallax” technique to measure the motion of hydrogen gas clouds and stars in the galactic center.
Most stars in our galaxy can be divided into two distinct types based on their chemical composition. The first group consists of elements abundant in the alpha element group, including oxygen, magnesium, silicon, sulfur, calcium, and titanium. The second group contains elements less frequently found in the alpha group, typically associated with iron. The distinction between these two groups indicates that something unusual occurred during the formation of the Milky Way.
Is there hope for humanity to leave the Milky Way?
The size and structure of the Milky Way significantly influence human exploration activities. Humanity has always dreamed of visiting other galaxies, but can we truly leave the Milky Way? This is a fascinating and complex question.
First, we need to address the issue of how to move beyond the galaxy. From a physics standpoint, we need a way to travel faster than the speed of light.
The Milky Way is a spiral disk-shaped galaxy. About 2/3 of known galaxies are spiral-shaped, and 2/3 of spiral galaxies are disk-shaped; thus, the Milky Way has a fairly common shape in the universe.
This seems impossible because according to Einstein’s theory of relativity, the speed of light is the fastest speed in the universe. To date, scientists have not discovered anything that travels faster than the speed of light. Therefore, we cannot directly leave the Milky Way at this moment.
However, we can employ some “tricks” to achieve this goal. One main method is to use a state similar to hibernation to shorten travel time. This approach is known as “hibernation technology.”
Not only does the center of the Milky Way contain enormous objects, but it is also a site of many fascinating phenomena – dying stars alongside newly formed stars, creating an endless cycle of life.
During hibernation, the human body enters a state of extremely low metabolic rate, similar to the hibernation process of animals. This means we can reduce the amount of food and water that humans need while slowing down bodily functions.
This would make long-term space travel more feasible. Additionally, humans could utilize spacecraft to conduct research and gather data from other galaxies, which is another way to leave the galaxy.
Overall, although humans currently cannot leave the Milky Way, scientists continue to strive to address this issue. By employing new technologies and developing innovative navigation methods, we may have a chance to leave the galaxy.
Although stars are continuously formed and die within the Milky Way, their number remains relatively constant – about 100 billion stars. Based on recent studies, it is believed that there is at least one planet orbiting each star, perhaps even more. In other words, there are approximately 100 billion to 200 billion planets within the Milky Way.
The Milky Way is a mysterious and colossal galaxy, and humanity has a long history of exploring it. As technology continues to improve, we now have a more precise understanding of the size and shape of the Milky Way.
However, the question of whether we can leave this galaxy remains unanswered. While we currently cannot directly venture beyond the Milky Way, humans may achieve this goal through hibernation or other techniques. In the future, we may resolve this issue and explore more distant galaxies.
