What is the distance that the Milky Way galaxy travels through space in one year?

Answer 1

The stellar disk of the Milky Way Galaxy is approximately 100,000 light-years (9×1017 km) (6×1017 mi) in diameter, and is considered to be, on average, about 1,000 light-years (9×1015 km) thick. It is estimated to contain at least 200 billion stars and possibly up to 400 billion.

Answer 2

I have read that the 'earths' Galactic Year (the time it takes to travel once around the Galaxy) is 225-250 million years(coming to an end soon in 2012). The Milky way may have a Universal Year assuming it is traveling orbit like in its Journey within the Greater Universe, but it makes no sense to talk of a Milky Way galactic Year in my opinion.

Answer 3

The Milky Way looks like a line, all right, but only because when you see it you are looking straight across its disk. Galaxies are usually flat, more or less circular, and often pinwheel shaped. The Milky Way is all of those things. Earth is located far out on one of the pinwheel arms.

Answer 4

The stellar disk of the Milky Way galaxy is approximately 100,000 light-years in diameter, and on average it is about 1,000 light-years thick. It is estimated to contain at least 200 billion stars and possibly up to 400 billion stars. The milky way rotates about once every 220 million years.

Answer 5

The length of a year for the Milky Way would depend on how close to the centre you are, just like in the solar system. Mercury year is 88 days where as ours is 365 days. If you mean how long would it take Earth to come back to the spot it is in now then it would take about 225 - 250 million years.

Answer 6

Relative to what?

Einstein's theory of relativity says that any object in an inertial frame can be treated as stationary with the rest of the universe moving. It makes a certain amount of sense to so treat the Milky Way.

Answer 7

The disc (which bulges outward at the Galactic Center) is 70 thousand - 100 thousand light years

Answer 8

The Milky Way is roughly 90,000 light-years across

Answer 9

The diameter is often quoted as being around 100,000 light-years, so that would make the radius half of that figure: about 50,000 light-years.

Answer 10

The stellar disk of the Milky Way Galaxy is approximately 100,000 light-years (9×1017 km) (6×1017 mi) in diameter