3.1. Our Own Galaxy: The Milky Way

♤ It is a spiral type of galaxy.

♤ It is about 100000 light years in diameter and has disk-shaped structure.

♤ The Milky Way galaxy is rotating slowly about its centre in the counter-clockwise direction.

♤ All the stars (The sun too along with the solar system) rotate about the centre of the Milky Way galaxy.

♤ The disc of stars is quite thick at the centre representing a relatively high concentration of the stars at the centre of the galaxy.

♤ The sun is far away(~27000 LY) from the centre of the Milky Way galaxy.

♤ Since the Milky Way galaxy appears like a river of light in the night sky running from one corner of the sky to the other, it is called ̒Akash Ganga ̓.