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You are here: Home / Space / Which Way Is the Milky Way Galaxy Moving and How Long Does It Take For the Milky Way To Rotate?

Which Way Is the Milky Way Galaxy Moving and How Long Does It Take For the Milky Way To Rotate?

July 13, 2020 by Karen Hill

The Milky Way is believed to be moving in the direction of the Great Attractor, which is a gravity anomaly in intergalactic space within the range of the Centaurus Supercluster.

Astronomers also believe the Milky Way is moving at about 630 km per second, although we must keep in mind the absolute velocity of any object through space is relative.

The Milky Way must rotate in order to create its spiral shape, otherwise gravity would make all the particles merge into more of a spherical shape.

While the galaxy itself rotates on its axis, sort of rushing head over heels through space, all the stars within the galaxy rotate around its center.

Our solar system takes one galactic year, about 225 million years, to make one revolution around the center of the galaxy.

Related Facts

  • What Does the Milky Way Look Like and Where Is Our Solar System Located In the Milky Way Galaxy?
  • How Old Is the Milky Way Galaxy, How Big Is the Milky Way, and How Many Stars Does the Milky Way Contain?
  • Who Discovered other Galaxies in the Universe and that the Sun is part of the Milky Way Galaxy?
  • How do astronomers know where one galaxy ends and another galaxy begins?
  • If Earth Is Rotating, Why Can’t I See It Moving Beneath Me When I’m In an Airplane?
  • Why Does Gravity Try To Attract All Things To the Center of Earth?

Filed Under: Space

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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