Chandra :: Resources :: Q&A: Milky Way Galaxy

Q & A: Milky Way Galaxy



		Milky Way Galaxy (def.): The specific galaxy to which the Sun belongs, so named because most of its visible stars appear overhead on a clear, dark night as a milky band of light extending across the sky. Field Guide to Galaxies & Active Galaxies Chandra Images: Milky Way Galaxy

Is Sagittarius "A" located at the center of the Milky Way strong enough to cause problems with our Sun when it passes by the center in 2012? The blackouts that have occurred are due to the radition of solar flares that are getting stronger?

How far away is the Andromeda Galaxy and how is this distance determined?

I have heard that the Andromeda Galaxy and the Milky Way Galaxy may end up colliding with each other in the future. What will happen to these two galaxies if this collision occurs?

Many pictures of spiral galaxies show a very obvious bulge, a bright, central concentration of stars. Since we can see bright bulges in distant galaxies, why we don't see a bright one at the center of our own?

Is our solar system moving or traveling within our Galaxy? Is our Galaxy traveling or moving in the Universe? If so, how fast?

Could a black hole in our Galaxy ever be strong enough to pull our solar system into it?

How do we know there's a supermassive black hole in the center of the Milky Way?

How far are we from the galactic plane and the center of the Galaxy?

How can you take a picture of our Galaxy if we are in it?

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Revised: December 08, 2006