2.4 The Milky Way Flashcard

Front

What is the Milky Way Galaxy made of?

Back

The Milky Way Galaxy is made of millions of stars, gas, and dust.

Front

How many stars are estimated to be in the Milky Way Galaxy?

Back

The Milky Way Galaxy is estimated to contain between 100 billion to 400 billion stars.

Front

What does the Milky Way Galaxy look like from inside?

Back

From inside, the Milky Way Galaxy looks like a bright white river of stars.

Front

What is the size of the Milky Way Galaxy's disk compared to the solar system?

Back

The disk of the Milky Way Galaxy is wider than the entire United States.

Front

How far is Earth from the center of the Milky Way Galaxy?

Back

Earth is approximately 26,000 light-years from the center of the Milky Way Galaxy.

Front

What is a galaxy?

Back

A galaxy is a massive system that consists of stars, star clusters, gas, dust, and dark matter, bound together by gravity.

Front

What is the shape of the Milky Way Galaxy?

Back

The Milky Way Galaxy has a spiral shape with arms that extend outward from the center.

Front

What is the center of the Milky Way Galaxy called?

Back

The center of the Milky Way Galaxy is called the Galactic Center.

Front

What is dark matter?

Back

Dark matter is a type of matter that does not emit light or energy, making it invisible and detectable only through its gravitational effects.

Front

What is a light-year?

Back

A light-year is the distance that light travels in one year, approximately 5.88 trillion miles (9.46 trillion kilometers).