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We Are Swifter and More Massive Than We Thought
Astronomers are continually making ever more sophisticated measurements
of our Milky Way galaxy and now conclude that this galaxy of ours in rotating about 100,000 miles per hour faster than earlier
measurements had indicated.
As noted by ScienceDaily, "Our Solar System is about 28,000 light-years
from the Milky Way's center. At that distance, the new observations indicate, we're moving at about 600,000 miles per
hour in our Galactic orbit, up from the previous estimate of 500,000 miles per hour."
Mark Reid (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics) indicates that
this new information also shows that the mass of the Milky Way galaxy must be considered to be increased by about
50 percent.
In addition, Mr. Reid has observed that, "These measurements indicate
that our galaxy probably has four, not two, spiral arms of gas and dust that are forming stars."
Mr. Reid also noted that, "Because we're inside it, it's difficult for
us to determine the Milky Way's structure. For other galaxies, we can simply look at them and see their structure, but
we can't do this to get an overall image of the Milky Way. We have to deduce its structure by measuring and mapping."
As we are now realizing, finding a black hole in the center of our galaxy
was only the beginning. We are only just starting to understand the actual nature and content of our neighborhood.
Giant Gamma-ray bubbles Found In Our Galaxy
Illistration from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
NASA RELEASE --- NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has
unveiled a previously unseen structure centered in the Milky Way. The feature spans 50,000 light-years and may be a
remnant of an eruption from a supersized back hole at the center of our galaxy. The structure spans more than half of
the visible sky, from the constellation Virgo to the constellation Grus, and it may be millions of years old.
Scientists now are conducting more analyses to better understand how
the never-before-seen structure was formed. The bubble emissions are much more energetic than the gamma-ray fog seen
elsewhere in the Milky Way. The bubbles also appear to have well-defined edges. The structure's shape and emissions
suggest it was formed as a result of a large and relatively rapid energy release, the source of which remains a mystery.
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