How fast the Milky Way galaxy flies. Place of the solar system in the Milky Way galaxy. Large portrait of galaxies
The universe is striking in its size and speed. All objects (stars, planets, asteroids, stardust) in it are in constant motion. Many of them have similar trajectories, as they are subject to the same laws. Traffic Solar system in the Galaxy has its own characteristics that may seem unusual at first glance, although it obeys the same laws as other objects in space.
A Brief History of Astronomy
Previously, people thought that the Earth was flat and covered with a crystal cap, and the stars, the Sun and the Moon were attached to it. V Ancient Greece, thanks to the writings of Ptolemy and Aristotle, believed that the Earth has the shape of a ball, and all other objects move around it. But already in the 17th century, doubts were first expressed that the Earth was the center of the world. Copernicus and Galileo, observing the motion of the planets, came to the conclusion that the Earth revolves with other planets around the Sun.
Modern scientists have gone even further and determined that the Sun is not the center and, in turn, revolves around the center of the Milky Way galaxy. But this turned out to be not entirely accurate. Near-Earth orbiting telescopes showed that our Galaxy is not the only one. In space, there are billions of galaxies and clusters of stars, clouds of cosmic dust, and the Milky Way galaxy is also moving relative to them.
Light
The sun is the main driving force behind the motion of the solar system in the galaxy. It moves in an elliptical, almost perfectly circular circle, and pulls the planets and asteroids that make up the system. The sun rotates not only around the center of the Milky Way galaxy, but also around its own axis. Its axis is offset to the side by 67.5 degrees. Since it (with such an inclination) practically lies on its side, from the side it seems that the planets that make up the solar system rotate in a vertical, and not in an inclined plane. The sun rotates counterclockwise around the center of the galaxy.
It also moves in a vertical direction, periodically (once every 30 million years) either descending or rising relative to the central point. Perhaps such a trajectory of the solar system in the Galaxy is due to the fact that the core of the Milky Way galaxy rotates around its own axis like a top - periodically tilting in one direction or the other. The Sun only repeats these movements, since according to the laws of physics, it must move strictly along the equator of the central body of the Galaxy, in which, according to scientists, there is a giant black hole. But it is quite possible that such a trajectory is a consequence of the influence of other large objects.
The speed of the movement of the solar system in the galaxy is equal to the speed of the sun - about 250 km / s. It makes a complete revolution around the center in 13.5 million years. Throughout the history of the Milky Way galaxy, the Sun has made three complete revolutions.
The laws of motion
When determining the speed of movement of the solar system around the center of the Galaxy and the planets that make up this system, one should take into account the fact that the laws of Newton, in particular the law of attraction or gravity, operate inside the solar system. But when determining the trajectory and speed of movement of the planets around the center of the Galaxy, Einstein's law of relativity also operates. Therefore, the speed of the solar system is equal to the speed of rotation of the sun, since about 98% of the total mass of the system is in it.
Its motion in the Galaxy obeys the second. In the same way, the planets of the solar system obey this law. According to him, they all move in the same plane around the center of the Sun.
To or from the center?
In addition to the fact that all stars and planets move around the center of the Galaxy, they also move in other directions. Scientists have long determined that the Milky Way galaxy is expanding, but this is happening more slowly than it should be. This discrepancy was revealed by computer simulations. The discrepancy has long puzzled astronomers, until the existence of black matter was proved, which prevents the Milky Way galaxy from disintegrating. But the movement away from the center continues. That is, the solar system moves not only in a circular orbit, but also shifts in the opposite direction from the center.
Motion in endless space
Our Galaxy also moves in space. Scientists have found that it is moving in the direction of the Andromeda nebula and will collide with it in a few billion years. At the same time, the movement of the solar system in the galaxy occurs in the same direction, since it is part of the Milky Way, at a speed of 552 km / s. Moreover, its speed of movement towards the Andromeda nebula is much higher than the speed of revolution around the center of the Galaxy.
Why the solar system doesn't disintegrate
Outer space is not emptiness. All space around stars and planets is filled with cosmic dust or dark matter that surrounds all galaxies. Large accumulations of cosmic dust are called clouds and nebulae. Clouds of cosmic dust often surround large objects such as stars and planets.
The solar system is surrounded by such clouds. They create the effect of an elastic body, which gives it more strength. Another factor preventing the solar system from disintegrating is the strong gravitational interaction between the Sun and the planets, as well as the large distance to the stars closest to it. So, the closest star to the Sun Sirius is located at a distance of about 10 million light years. To make it clear how far it is, it is enough to compare the distance from the star to the planets that make up the solar system. For example, the distance from it to Earth is 8.6 light minutes. Therefore, the interaction between the Sun and other objects within the Solar System is much stronger than that of other stars.
How planets move in the universe
The planets move in the solar system in two directions: around the sun and together with it around the center of the galaxy. All objects that make up this system move in two planes: along the equator and around the center of the Milky Way, repeating all the movements of the luminary, including those that occur in the vertical plane. Moreover, they move at an angle of 60 degrees relative to the center of the Galaxy. If you look at how the planets and asteroids of the solar system move, then their movement is spiral. The planets move behind and around the Sun. A spiral of planets and asteroids every 30 million years rises up with the star and just as smoothly descends.
The movement of planets within the solar system
In order for the picture of the motion of the system in the Galaxy to acquire a complete form, one should also consider the speed and in what orbit the planets move around the Sun. All planets move counterclockwise, they also rotate counterclockwise around their own axis, with the exception of Venus. Many have multiple satellites and rings. The farther a planet is from the Sun, the more elongated its orbit is. For example, the dwarf planet Pluto has such an elongated orbit that, when passing perihelion, it passes closer to it than Uranus. The planets have the following speeds of revolution around the Sun:
- Mercury - 47.36 km / s;
- Venus - 35.02 km / s;
- Earth - 29.02 km / s;
- Mars - 24.13 km / s;
- Jupiter - 13.07 km / s;
- Saturn - 9.69 km / s;
- Uranus - 6.81 km / s;
- Neptune - 5.43 km / s.
The pattern is obvious: the farther the planet is from the star, the lower the speed of its movement and the longer the path. Based on this, the spiral of motion of the solar system has the highest speed near the center and the lowest at the outskirts. Until 2006, Pluto was considered the extreme planet (speed of 4.67 km / s), but with the change in classification, it was assigned to the category large asteroids - dwarf planets.
The planets move unevenly, in elongated orbits. The speed of their movement depends on where this or that planet is. So, at the point of perihelion, the linear speed of movement is higher than at the aphelion. Perihelion is the farthest point on the elliptical trajectory of the planet from the Sun, aphelion is the closest to it. Therefore, the speed may vary slightly.
Output
The Earth is one of the billions of grains of sand wandering in endless space. But its movement is not chaotic, it is subject to certain laws of motion of the solar system. The main forces that affect its movement are gravity. It is acted upon by the forces of two objects - the Sun as the closest star to it and the center of the Galaxy, since the solar system, which includes the planet, revolves around it. If we compare the speed of its movement in the Universe, then it, along with the rest of the stars and planets, moves in the direction of the Andromeda nebula at a speed of 552 km / s.
Surely, many of you have seen a gif or watched a video showing the movement of the solar system.
Video clip released in 2012 went viral and made a lot of noise. I came across it shortly after its appearance, when I knew much less about space than I do now. And most of all I was confused by the perpendicularity of the plane of the orbits of the planets to the direction of motion. Not that this is impossible, but the solar system can move at any angle to the plane of the galaxy. Why remember long-forgotten stories, you ask? The fact is that right now, with a desire and good weather, everyone can see in the sky the real angle between the planes of the ecliptic and the Galaxy.
Checking scientists
Astronomy says that the angle between the planes of the ecliptic and the galaxy is 63 °.
But the figure itself is boring, and even now, when the adepts are on the sidelines of science flat earth, I would like to have a simple and visual illustration. Let's think about how we can see the planes of the Galaxy and the ecliptic in the sky, preferably with the naked eye and without moving far from the city? The plane of the Galaxy is Milky Way but now, with the abundance of light pollution, it is not easy to see it. Is there a line roughly close to the plane of the Galaxy? Yes - this is the constellation Cygnus. It is clearly visible even in the city, and it is easy to find it, relying on the bright stars: Deneb (alpha Cygnus), Vega (alpha Lyrae) and Altair (alpha Eagle). The "body" of the Swan roughly coincides with the galactic plane.
Okay, we have one plane. But how do you get a visual line of the ecliptic? Let's think, what is the ecliptic in general? According to the modern strict definition, the ecliptic is a section celestial sphere the plane of the orbit of the barycenter (center of mass) Earth-Moon. On the average, the Sun moves along the ecliptic, but we do not have two Suns along which it is convenient to build a line, and the Cygnus constellation at sunlight will not be seen. But if we remember that the planets of the solar system also move approximately in the same plane, then it turns out that the parade of planets will just roughly show us the plane of the ecliptic. And now Mars, Jupiter and Saturn can be observed in the morning sky.
As a result, in the coming weeks, in the morning before sunrise, it will be possible to very clearly see the following picture:
Which, surprisingly, fits perfectly with astronomy textbooks.
And it is more correct to draw a gif like this:
Source: Rhys Taylor astronomer website rhysy.net
The question can cause the relative position of the planes. Are we flying<-/ или же <-\ (если смотреть с внешней стороны Галактики, северный полюс вверху)? Астрономия говорит, что Солнечная система движется относительно ближайших звезд в направлении созвездия Геркулеса, в точку, расположенную недалеко от Веги и Альбирео (бета Лебедя), то есть правильное положение <-/.
But this fact, alas, cannot be verified "on the fingers", because, even if they did it two hundred and thirty-five years ago, they used the results of many years of astronomical observations and mathematics.
Scattering stars
How can you even determine where the solar system is moving relative to nearby stars? If we can record the movement of a star in the celestial sphere for decades, then the direction of movement of several stars will tell us where we are moving relative to them. Let's call the point we are moving to the apex. Stars that are not far from it, as well as from the opposite point (antiapex), will move weakly, because they are flying towards us or away from us. And the further the star is from the apex and antiapex, the more its own motion will be. Imagine you are driving down the road. Traffic lights at intersections in front and behind will not move too much to the sides. But the lampposts along the road will still flicker (have a large movement of their own) outside the window.
The gif shows the movement of Barnard's star, which has the largest proper motion. Already in the 18th century, astronomers had records of the position of stars at an interval of 40-50 years, which made it possible to determine the direction of movement of slower stars. Then the English astronomer William Herschel took the star catalogs and, without going to the telescope, began to calculate. Already the first calculations according to Mayer's catalog showed that the stars do not move chaotically, and the apex can be determined.
Source: Hoskin, M. Herschel's Determination of the Solar Apex, Journal for the History of Astronomy, Vol. 11, P. 153, 1980
And with the data from the Lalande catalog, the area was significantly reduced.
From the same place
Then came the normal scientific work - data clarification, calculations, disputes, but Herschel used the correct principle and was mistaken by only ten degrees. Information is still being collected, for example, just thirty years ago, the speed of movement was reduced from 20 to 13 km / s. Important: this speed should not be confused with the speed of the solar system and other nearby stars relative to the center of the Galaxy, which is approximately 220 km / s.
Even further
Well, since we mentioned the speed of movement relative to the center of the Galaxy, it is necessary to figure it out here too. The Galactic North Pole is chosen in the same way as the Earth's - arbitrarily by convention. It is located not far from the star Arcturus (alpha Bootes), approximately upward in the direction of the wing of the constellation Cygnus. In general, the projection of the constellations on the galactic map looks like this:
Those. The solar system moves relative to the center of the Galaxy in the direction of the constellation Cygnus, and relative to local stars in the direction of the constellation Hercules, at an angle of 63 ° to the galactic plane,<-/, если смотреть с внешней стороны Галактики, северный полюс сверху.
Space tail
But the comparison of the solar system with a comet in the video is completely correct. NASA's IBEX spacecraft was specifically designed to determine the interaction between the solar system boundary and interstellar space. And according to his data, there is a tail.
NASA illustration
For other stars, we can see the astrospheres (stellar wind bubbles) directly.
Photo by NASA
Last positive
Concluding the conversation, it is worth noting a very positive story. DJSadhu, who created the original video in 2012, was initially promoting something unscientific. But, thanks to the viral spread of the clip, he talked with real astronomers (astrophysicist Rhys Tailor speaks very positively about the dialogue) and, three years later, made a new video, much more in line with reality, without anti-scientific constructions.Planet Earth, solar system, and all the stars visible to the naked eye are in Milky Way Galaxy, which is a barred spiral galaxy with two pronounced arms starting at the ends of the bar.
This was confirmed in 2005 by the Lyman Spitzer Space Telescope, which showed that the central bar of our galaxy is larger than previously thought. Spiral galaxies with a bar - spiral galaxies with a bar ("bar") of bright stars emerging from the center and crossing the galaxy in the middle.
Spiral branches in such galaxies begin at the ends of the barriers, whereas in ordinary spiral galaxies they exit directly from the core. Observations show that about two-thirds of all spiral galaxies are barred. According to existing hypotheses, the barriers are centers of star formation that support the birth of stars in their centers. It is assumed that, through orbital resonance, they let gas from the spiral arms pass through them. This mechanism provides an influx of building material for the birth of new stars. The Milky Way together with the Andromeda Galaxy (M31), the Triangle (M33), and more than 40 smaller satellite galaxies form the Local Group of Galaxies, which, in turn, is part of the Virgo Supercluster. "Using an infrared image from NASA's Spitzer telescope, scientists have discovered that the Milky Way's elegant spiral structure has only two dominant arms from the ends of the central bar of stars. Our galaxy was previously thought to have four main arms."
/s.dreamwidth.org/img/styles/nouveauoleanders/titles_background.png "target =" _blank "> http://s.dreamwidth.org/img/styles/nouveauoleanders/titles_background.png) 0% 50% no-repeat rgb (29, 41, 29); "> Galaxy structureBy outward appearance, the galaxy resembles a disk (since most of the stars are in the form of a flat disk) with a diameter of about 30,000 parsecs (100,000 light years, 1 quintillion kilometers) with an estimated average thickness of the disk of about 1000 light years, the diameter of the bulge in the center of the disk is 30,000 light years. The disk is immersed in a spherical halo, and a spherical crown is located around it. The center of the galactic nucleus is located in the constellation Sagittarius. The thickness of the galactic disk where it is solar system with planet Earth is 700 light years. The distance from the Sun to the center of the Galaxy is 8.5 kilo parsecs (2.62.1017 km, or 27,700 light years). solar system is located on the inner edge of the sleeve called the Orion sleeve. In the center of the Galaxy, apparently, there is a super massive black hole(Sagittarius A *) (about 4.3 million solar masses) around which, presumably, a black hole revolves with an average mass of 1000 to 10,000 solar masses and an orbital period of about 100 years and several thousand relatively small ones. The galaxy contains, according to the lowest estimate, about 200 billion stars (modern estimates range from 200 to 400 billion). As of January 2009, the mass of the Galaxy is estimated at 3.1012 solar masses, or 6.1042 kg. The bulk of the Galaxy is contained not in stars and interstellar gas, but in a non-luminous halo of dark matter.
Compared to the halo, the galactic disk rotates noticeably faster. Its rotation speed is not the same at different distances from the center. It rapidly increases from zero in the center to 200-240 km / s at a distance of 2 thousand light years from it, then decreases slightly, increases again to approximately the same value, and then remains almost constant. The study of the features of the rotation of the disk of the Galaxy made it possible to estimate its mass; it turned out that it is 150 billion times greater than the mass of the Sun. Age Milky Way Galaxy is equal to13,200 million years old, almost as old as the universe. The Milky Way is part of the Local Group of Galaxies.
/s.dreamwidth.org/img/styles/nouveauoleanders/titles_background.png "target =" _blank "> http://s.dreamwidth.org/img/styles/nouveauoleanders/titles_background.png) 0% 50% no-repeat rgb (29, 41, 29); "> Location of the Solar System solar system is located on the inner edge of an arm called the Orion arm, in the marginal part of the Local Supercluster, sometimes also called the Virgo Super Cluster. The thickness of the galactic disk (where it is solar system with the planet Earth), is 700 light years. The distance from the Sun to the center of the Galaxy is 8.5 kilo parsecs (2.62.1017 km, or 27,700 light years). The sun is closer to the edge of the disk than to its center.
Together with other stars, the Sun revolves around the center of the Galaxy at a speed of 220-240 km / s, making one revolution in about 225-250 million years (which is one galactic year). Thus, for the entire time of its existence, the Earth has flown around the center of the Galaxy no more than 30 times. The galactic year of the Galaxy is 50 million years, the orbital period of the bar is 15-18 million years. In the vicinity of the Sun, it is possible to track sections of two spiral arms, which are approximately 3 thousand light years distant from us. According to the constellations where these areas are observed, they were named the Sagittarius arm and the Perseus arm. The sun is located almost midway between these spiral branches. But relatively close to us (by galactic standards), in the constellation Orion, there is another, not very clearly expressed arm - the Orion arm, which is considered an offshoot of one of the main spiral arms of the Galaxy. The speed of rotation of the Sun around the center of the Galaxy almost coincides with the speed of the compaction wave that forms the spiral arm. This situation is atypical for the Galaxy as a whole: the spiral arms rotate at a constant angular velocity, like spokes in wheels, and the movement of stars occurs with a different pattern, therefore, almost the entire stellar population of the disk either falls into the spiral arms or falls out of them. The only place where the speeds of the stars and spiral arms coincide is the so-called corotation circle, and it is on this circle that the Sun is located. For the Earth, this circumstance is extremely important, since violent processes occur in the spiral arms, generating powerful radiation that is destructive for all living things. And no atmosphere could protect against him. But our planet exists in a relatively quiet place in the Galaxy and has not been exposed to these cosmic cataclysms for hundreds of millions (or even billions) years. Perhaps this is why life on Earth was able to be born and survive, the age of which is 4.6 billion years. Diagram of the location of the Earth in the universe in a series of eight maps, which show, from left to right, starting with the Earth, moving in Solar system, to neighboring star systems, to the Milky Way, to local Galactic groups, tolocal Virgo superclusters, on our local super-cluster, and ends up in the observable universe.
Solar system: 0.001 light years
Neighbors in interstellar space
Milky Way: 100,000 light years
Local Galactic Groups
Local Super Cluster Virgo
Local over the galaxy cluster
Observable universe
Even sitting on a chair in front of a computer screen and clicking on links, we are physically engaged in a variety of movements. Where are we going? Where is the "top" of the movement, its apex?
First, we participate in the rotation of the Earth around its axis. it daily movement points to the east point on the horizon. The speed of movement depends on the latitude; it is equal to 465 * cos (φ) m / s. Thus, if you are at the north or south pole of the Earth, then you are not participating in this movement. And let's say, in Moscow, the daily linear speed is about 260 m / s. The angular velocity of the apex of daily motion relative to the stars is easy to calculate: 360 ° / 24 hours = 15 ° / hour.
Secondly, the Earth, and we together with it, moves around the Sun. (We will neglect the small monthly wobble around the center of mass of the Earth-Moon system.) average speed annual movement in orbit - 30 km / sec. At perihelion at the beginning of January it is slightly higher, at aphelion at the beginning of July it is slightly lower, but since the Earth's orbit is almost an exact circle, the speed difference is only 1 km / s. The orbital apex naturally shifts and completes a full circle in a year. Its ecliptic latitude is 0 degrees, and its longitude is equal to the longitude of the Sun plus approximately 90 degrees - λ = λ ☉ + 90 °, β = 0. In other words, the apex lies on the ecliptic, 90 degrees ahead of the Sun. Accordingly, the angular velocity of the apex is equal to the angular velocity of the Sun's motion: 360 ° / year, slightly less than a degree per day.
We carry out larger-scale movements already together with our Sun as part of the Solar system.
First, the sun is moving relatively nearby stars(so-called local rest standard). The travel speed is about 20 km / sec (slightly more than 4 AU / year). Note that this is even less than the speed of the Earth in orbit. The movement is directed towards the constellation Hercules, and the equatorial coordinates of the apex are α = 270 °, δ = 30 °. However, if we measure the speed relative to all bright stars , visible to the naked eye, then we get the standard motion of the Sun, it is somewhat different, less in speed than 15 km / s ~ 3 AU. / year). This is also the constellation Hercules, although the apex is slightly displaced (α = 265 °, δ = 21 °). But relative to the interstellar gas, the solar system moves slightly faster (22-25 km / s), but the apex is significantly shifted and falls into the constellation Ophiuchus (α = 258 °, δ = -17 °). This shift of the apex of about 50 ° is associated with the so-called. by the "interstellar wind" "blowing from the south" of the Galaxy.
All three described movements are, so to speak, local movements, "walks in the yard". But the Sun, together with the nearest and generally visible stars (after all, we practically do not see too distant stars), together with clouds of interstellar gas, revolves around the center of the Galaxy - and these are completely different speeds!
The speed of movement of the solar system around the center of the galaxy is 200 km / s (more than 40 AU / year). However, the indicated value is inaccurate, it is difficult to determine the galactic speed of the Sun; After all, we do not even see what we are measuring the motion in relation to: the center of the Galaxy is hidden by dense interstellar clouds of dust. The value is constantly being refined and tends to decrease; not so long ago, it was taken for 230 km / s (this value can often be found), and recent studies give results even less than 200 km / s. Galactic motion occurs perpendicular to the direction to the center of the Galaxy and therefore the apex has galactic coordinates l = 90 °, b = 0 ° or in more familiar equatorial coordinates - α = 318 °, δ = 48 °; this point is in Lebed. Because this is a reversal movement, the apex is displaced and completes a full circle in a "galactic year," roughly 250 million years; its angular velocity is ~ 5 "/ 1000 years, one and a half degrees per million years.
Further movements include the movement of the whole Galaxy. Measuring such a movement is also not easy, the distances are too great, and the error in the numbers is still quite large.
Thus, our Galaxy and the Andromeda Galaxy, two massive objects of the Local Group of Galaxies, are gravitationally attracted and moving towards each other at a speed of about 100-150 km / s, with the main component of the speed belonging to our galaxy. The lateral component of the movement is not precisely known, and concerns about collision are premature. An additional contribution to this movement is made by the massive galaxy M33, located approximately in the same direction as the Andromeda galaxy. In general, the speed of motion of our Galaxy relative to the barycenter Local group of galaxies about 100 km / s approximately in the direction of Andromeda / Lizard (l = 100, b = -4, α = 333, δ = 52), but these data are still very approximate. This is a very modest relative speed: the Galaxy is displaced by its own diameter in two to three hundred million years, or, very approximately, in galactic year.
If we measure the speed of the Galaxy relatively distant galaxy clusters, we will see a different picture: both our galaxy and the rest of the galaxies of the Local Group, together as a whole, move in the direction of the large Virgo cluster at about 400 km / s. This movement is also driven by gravitational forces.
Background relict radiation defines a certain preferred frame of reference associated with all baryonic matter in the observable part of the Universe. In a sense, motion relative to this microwave background is motion relative to the Universe as a whole (this motion should not be confused with the scattering of galaxies!). It is possible to determine this movement by measuring dipole temperature anisotropy irregularity of the relict radiation in different directions ... Such measurements showed an unexpected and important thing: all galaxies in the closest to us part of the Universe, including not only our Local Group, but also the Virgo cluster and other clusters, move relative to the background relict radiation at an unexpectedly high speed. For the Local Group of galaxies, it is 600-650 km / s with an apex in the constellation Hydra (α = 166, δ = -27). It looks so that somewhere in the depths of the Universe there is still an undetected huge cluster of many superclusters attracting the matter of our part of the Universe. This hypothetical cluster was named Great Attractor.
How was the speed of the Local Group of Galaxies determined? Of course, in fact, astronomers measured the speed of the Sun relative to the microwave background: it turned out to be ~ 390 km / s with an apex with coordinates l = 265 °, b = 50 ° (α = 168, δ = -7) on the border of the constellations Leo and Chalice. Then we determined the speed of the Sun relative to the galaxies of the Local Group (300 km / s, constellation Lizard). It was no longer difficult to calculate the speed of the Local Group.
| Daily: observer relative to the center of the Earth | 0-465 m / s | East |
| Annual: Earth relative to the Sun | 30 km / sec | perpendicular to the direction of the sun |
| Local: Sun relative to nearby stars | 20 km / sec | Hercules |
| Standard: Sun relative to brighter stars | 15 km / sec | Hercules |
| Sun relative to interstellar gas | 22-25 km / s | Ophiuchus |
| Sun relative to the center of the Galaxy | ~ 200 km / s | Swan |
| Sun relative to the Local Group of Galaxies | 300 km / s | Lizard |
| Galaxy relative to the Local Group of Galaxies | ~ 1 00 km / s |
The Earth, together with the planets, revolves around the sun, and almost all people on Earth know this. A much smaller number of the planet's inhabitants already know that the Sun revolves around the center of our Milky Way galaxy. But that's not all. At the same time, our galaxy revolves around the center of the universe. Let's find out about it and watch interesting video footage.
It turns out that the entire solar system moves together with the sun through the local interstellar cloud (the unchangeable plane remains parallel to itself) at a speed of 25 km / s. This movement is directed almost perpendicular to the fixed plane.
Perhaps here we need to look for an explanation of the observed differences in the structure of the northern and southern hemispheres of the Sun, stripes and spots of both hemispheres of Jupiter. In any case, this movement determines the possible encounters of the solar system with matter scattered in one form or another in interstellar space. The actual movement of the planets in space occurs along elongated helical lines (for example, the "stroke" of the propeller of Jupiter's orbit is 12 times larger than its diameter).
For 226 million years (galactic year), the solar system makes a complete revolution around the center of the galaxy, moving along an almost circular trajectory at a speed of 220 km / s.
Our Sun is part of a huge star system called the Galaxy (also called the Milky Way). Our Galaxy has the shape of a disk, similar to two plates folded at the edges. In its center is the rounded nucleus of the Galaxy.
Our Galaxy - side view
If you look at our Galaxy from above, it looks like a spiral in which stellar matter is concentrated mainly in its branches, called galactic arms. The arms are located in the plane of the Galaxy disk.
Our Galaxy - top view
Our Galaxy contains over 100 billion stars. The diameter of the galactic disk is about 30 thousand parsecs (100,000 light years), and the thickness is about 1000 light years.
The stars inside the disk move in circular paths around the center of the Galaxy, just as the planets in the solar system revolve around the sun. The rotation of the Galaxy occurs clockwise when looking at the Galaxy from its north pole (located in the constellation Coma Veronica). The speed of rotation of the disk is not the same at different distances from the center: it decreases with distance from it.
The closer to the center of the Galaxy, the higher the density of stars. If we lived on a planet near a star located near the core of the Galaxy, then dozens of stars would be visible in the sky, comparable in brightness to the Moon.
However, the Sun is very far from the center of the Galaxy, one might say - on its outskirts, at a distance of about 26 thousand light years (8.5 thousand parsecs), near the plane of the galaxy. It is located in the Orion arm, connected to two larger arms - the inner Sagittarius arm and the outer Perseus arm.
The Sun moves at a speed of about 220-250 kilometers per second around the center of the Galaxy and makes a complete revolution around its center, according to various estimates, in 220-250 million years. During its existence, the period of revolution of the Sun together with the surrounding stars near the center of our star system is called the galactic year. But you need to understand that there is no general period for the Galaxy, since it does not rotate like a rigid body. During its existence, the Sun has flown around the Galaxy about 30 times.
The revolution of the Sun around the center of the Galaxy is oscillatory: every 33 million years it crosses the galactic equator, then rises above its plane to an altitude of 230 light years and again descends to the equator.
Interestingly, the Sun makes a complete revolution around the center of the Galaxy in exactly the same time as the spiral arms. As a result, the Sun does not cross regions of active star formation, in which supernovae often break out - sources of radiation destructive for life. That is, it is located in the sector of the Galaxy that is most favorable for the origin and maintenance of life.
The solar system moves through the interstellar medium of our Galaxy much more slowly than previously thought, and no shock wave is formed at its front edge. This was established by astronomers who analyzed the data collected by the IBEX probe, reports RIA Novosti.
“It can be said almost definitely that there is no shock wave in front of the heliosphere (the bubble that limits the solar system from the interstellar medium), and that its interaction with the interstellar medium is much weaker and more dependent on magnetic fields than previously thought,” the scientists write in the article. published in the journal Science.
Research spacecraft NASA's IBEX (Interstellar Boundary Explorer), launched in June 2008, is designed to explore the boundary of the solar system and interstellar space - the heliosphere, located about 16 billion kilometers from the Sun.
At this distance, the flow of charged particles of the solar wind and the force magnetic field The suns are weakening so much that they can no longer overcome the pressure of rarefied interstellar matter and ionized gas. As a result, a "bubble" of the heliosphere is formed, filled with the solar wind inside and surrounded by interstellar gas outside.
The Sun's magnetic field deflects the trajectory of charged interstellar particles, but does not in any way affect the neutral atoms of hydrogen, oxygen and helium, which freely penetrate into the central regions of the solar system. The detectors of the IBEX satellite “catch” such neutral atoms. Their study allows astronomers to draw conclusions about the features of the boundary zone of the solar system.
A group of scientists from the United States, Germany, Poland and Russia presented a new analysis of data from the IBEX satellite, according to which the speed of the solar system was lower than previously thought. In this case, as evidenced by new data, a shock wave does not arise in the front part of the heliosphere.
“The sonic boom that occurs when a jet plane breaks the sound barrier can serve as an earthly example for a shockwave. When a plane reaches supersonic speed, the air in front of it cannot get out of its way quickly enough, and the result is a shockwave, ”explains lead author David McComas, quoted in a press release from the Southwest Research Institute. USA).
For about a quarter of a century, scientists believed that the heliosphere was moving through interstellar space at a speed high enough for such a shock wave to form in front of it. However, new data from IBEX showed that the solar system is actually moving through the local cloud of interstellar gas at a speed of 23.25 kilometers per second, which is 3.13 kilometers per second less than previously thought. And this speed is below the limit at which a shock wave occurs.
“Although the shock wave exists in front of the bubbles surrounding many other stars, we have found that the interaction of our Sun with environment does not reach the threshold at which a shock wave is generated, ”McComas said.
Earlier, the IBEX probe was engaged in mapping the boundary of the heliosphere and discovered on the heliosphere a mysterious strip with increased fluxes of energetic particles, which encircled the "bubble" of the heliosphere. Also, with the help of IBEX, it was found that the speed of movement of the solar system over the past 15 years, for inexplicable reasons, has decreased by more than 10%.
The universe is spinning like a whirligig. Astronomers have discovered traces of the rotation of the universe.
Until now, most researchers were inclined to believe that our universe is static. Or if it moves, then a little. Imagine the surprise of a team of scientists from the University of Michigan (USA), led by Professor Michael Longo, when they discovered clear traces of the rotation of our universe in space. It turns out, from the very beginning, even during the Big Bang, when the Universe was just being born, it was already rotating. As if someone launched it like a whirligig. And it is still spinning, spinning.
The research was carried out in the framework of the international project "Digital Sky Survey" (Sloan Digital Sky Survey). And scientists discovered this phenomenon by cataloging the direction of rotation of about 16,000 spiral galaxies from the north pole of the Milky Way. In the beginning, scientists tried to find evidence that the universe has mirror symmetry properties. In this case, they reasoned, the number of galaxies that rotate clockwise, and those that are "twisted" in the opposite direction, would be the same, according to pravda.ru.
But it turned out that counterclockwise rotation prevails among spiral galaxies towards the north pole of the Milky Way, that is, they are oriented to the right. This trend is visible even over 600 million light years away.
The violation of symmetry is small, only about seven percent, but the likelihood that this is such a cosmic accident is somewhere around one million, - said Professor Longo. - Our results are very important, because they seem to contradict the almost universal idea that if we take a sufficiently large scale, the universe will be isotropic, that is, it will not have a pronounced direction.
According to experts, a symmetrical and isotropic universe should have arisen from a spherically symmetric explosion, which was supposed to resemble a basketball in shape. However, if at birth the Universe rotated around its axis in a certain direction, then the galaxies would retain this direction of rotation. But, since they rotate in different directions, therefore, the Big Bang had a versatile direction. Nevertheless, most likely, the universe still continues to rotate.
In general, astrophysicists have previously guessed about the violation of symmetry and isotropy. Their guesses were based on observations of other giant anomalies. These include traces of cosmic strings - incredibly extended space-time defects of zero thickness, hypothetically born in the first moments after the Big Bang. The appearance of "bruises" on the body of the Universe - the so-called imprints from its past collisions with other universes. And also the movement of the "Dark Stream" - a huge stream of galactic clusters rushing at great speed in one direction.