MILKY WAY GALAXY

Marathi names for planets

- Mercury
- Venus
- Earth
- Mars
- Jupiter
- Saturn
- Uranus
Neptune

1 YEAR AGO BY FICTION IN

ASTRONOMY,
ASTRONOMY,
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The Milky
Way is
the galaxy that
contains our Solar System. This name derives from its appearance as a dim milky glowing band arching across the night sky, in
which the naked eye cannot distinguish individual stars. The term Milky Way is a translation of the Classical Latin via lactea, from
the Greek (pr. galaxas kklos, milky circle). The Milky Way appears like a band because it is a disk-shaped
structure being viewed from inside. The fact that this faint band of light is made up of stars was proven in 1610 when Galileo
Galilei used his telescope to resolve it into individual stars. In the 1920s, observations by astronomerEdwin Hubble showed that
the Milky Way is just one of many galaxies.
The Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy 100,000120,000 light-years in diameter containing 100400 billion stars. It may contain
at least as many planets. The Solar System is located within the disk, around two thirds of the way out from the Galactic Center,
on the inner edge of a spiral-shaped concentration of gas and dust called the Orion Arm. The stars in the inner 10,000 lightyears form a bulgeand one or more bars. The very center is marked by an intense radio source named Sagittarius A* which is
likely to be a supermassive black hole. Stars and gas throughout the Galaxy rotate about the center at approximately the same
speed, which contradicts the laws ofKeplerian dynamics. This indicates that much of the mass of the Milky Way does not emit or
absorb electromagnetic radiation; this mass is known as dark matter. The rotational period is about 200 million years at the
position of the Sun. The Galaxy as a whole is moving at a velocity of approximately 600 km per second with respect to
extragalactic frames of reference. The oldest known star in the Galaxy is about 13.2 billion years old, nearly as old as the
Universe. Surrounded by several smaller satellite galaxies, the Milky Way is part of theLocal Group of galaxies, which forms a
subcomponent of the Virgo Supercluster.

Appearance
When observing the night sky, the term Milky Way is limited to the hazy band of white light some 30 degrees wide arcing across
the sky (although all of the stars that can be seen with the naked eye are part of the Milky Way Galaxy). The light in this band
originates from un-resolvedstars and other material that lie within the Galactic plane. Dark regions within the band, such as
the Great Rift and the Coalsack, correspond to areas where light from distant stars is blocked by interstellar dust.
The Milky Way has a relatively low surface brightness. Its visibility can be greatly reduced by background light such as light
pollution or stray light from the moon. It is readily visible when the limiting magnitude is +5.1 or better, while showing a great deal
of detail at +6.1. This makes the Milky Way difficult to see from any brightly lit urban or suburban location but very prominent when
viewed from a rural area when the moon is below the horizon.

The Milky Way passes through parts of roughly 30 constellations. The center of
the Galaxy lies in the direction of the constellation Sagittarius; it is here that the
Milky Way is brightest. From Sagittarius, the hazy band of white light appears to
pass westward to the Galactic anticenter in Auriga. The band then continues
westward the rest of the way around the sky back to Sagittarius. The fact that
the band divides the night sky into two roughly equalhemispheres indicates that
the Solar System lies close to the Galactic plane.[citation needed]
The Galactic plane is inclined by about 60 degrees to the ecliptic (the plane of
the Earths orbit). Relative to the celestial equator, it passes as far north as the
constellation of Cassiopeia and as far south as the constellation of Crux,
indicating the high inclination of Earths equatorial plane and the plane of
the ecliptic relative to the Galactic plane. The north Galactic pole is situated
at right ascension 12h 49m, declination +27.4 (B1950) near beta Comae
Berenices, and the south Galactic pole is near alpha Sculptoris. Because of this
high inclination, depending on the time of night and the year, the arc of Milky Way can appear relatively low or relatively high in the
sky. For observers from about 65 degrees north to 65 degrees south on the Earths surface the Milky Way passes directly
overhead twice a day.

Environment
The Milky Way and the Andromeda Galaxy are a binary system of giant spiral galaxies belonging to a group of 50 closely bound
galaxies known as theLocal Group, itself being part of the Virgo Supercluster.
Two smaller galaxies and a number of dwarf galaxies in the Local
Group orbit the Milky Way. The largest of these is the Large
Magellanic Cloud with a diameter of 20,000 light-years. It has a
close companion, the Small Magellanic Cloud. The Magellanic
Stream is a peculiar streamer of neutral hydrogengas connecting
these two small galaxies. The stream is thought to have been
dragged from the Magellanic Clouds in tidal interactions with the
Milky Way. Some of the dwarf galaxies orbiting the Milky
Way are Canis Major Dwarf (the closest), Sagittarius Dwarf
Elliptical Galaxy, Ursa Minor Dwarf,Sculptor Dwarf, Sextans
Dwarf, Fornax Dwarf, and Leo I Dwarf. The smallest Milky Way
dwarf galaxies are only 500 light-years in diameter. These
include Carina Dwarf, Draco Dwarf, and Leo II Dwarf. There may
still be undetected dwarf galaxies, which are dynamically bound to
the Milky Way, as well as some that have already been absorbed
by the Milky Way, such as Omega Centauri. Observations through
the Zone of Avoidance are frequently detecting new distant and
nearby galaxies. Some galaxies consisting mostly of gas and dust
may also have evaded detection so far.
In January 2006, researchers reported that the heretofore
unexplained warp in the disk of the Milky Way has now been
mapped and found to be a ripple or vibration set up by the Large
and Small Magellanic Clouds as they circle the Galaxy, causing
vibrations at certain frequencies when they pass through its edges. Previously, these two galaxies, at around 2% of the mass of
the Milky Way, were considered too small to influence the Milky Way. However, by taking into account dark matter, the movement
of these two galaxies creates a wake that influences the larger Milky Way. Taking dark matter into account results in an
approximately twentyfold increase in mass for the galaxy. This calculation is according to a computer model made by Martin
Weinberg of the University of Massachusetts Amherst. In this model, the dark matter is spreading out from the Galactic disk with

the known gas layer. As a result, the model predicts that the gravitational effect of the Magellanic Clouds is amplified as they pass
through the Galaxy.
Current measurements suggest the Andromeda Galaxy is approaching us at 100 to 140 kilometers per second. The Milky Way
may collide with it in 3 to 4 billion years, depending on the importance of unknown lateral components to the galaxies relative
motion. If they collide, individual stars within the galaxies would not collide, but instead the two galaxies will merge to form a
single elliptical galaxy over the course of about a billion years.

Etymology and mythology

In western culture the name Milky Way is derived from its appearance as a dim
un-resolved milky glowing band arching across the night sky. The term is a
translation of the Classical Latin via lactea, in turn derived from the Hellenistic
Greek , short for (pr. galaktikos kyklos, milky
circle). The Ancient Greek (galaxias), from root -,
(milk) + - (forming adjectives), is also the root of galaxy, the name for our,
and later all such, collections of stars. The Milky Way milk circle was just one of
11 circles the Greeks identified in the sky, others being the zodiac, the meridian,
the horizon, the equator, the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, Arctic and
Antarctic circles, and two colure circles passing through both poles.
There are many creation myths around the world which explain the origin of the
Milky Way and give it its name. In Greek myth, the Milky Way was caused by milk
spilt by Hera when suckling Heracles. It is also described as the road to
mount Olympus, and the path of ruin made by the chariot of the Sun god Helios.
In Sanskrit and several other Indo-Aryan languages, the Milky Way is
called Akash Ganga ( , Ganges of the heavens); it is held to be sacred in the Hindu Puranas (scriptures), and the
Ganges and the Milky Way are considered to be terrestrial and celestial analogs. Kshira (, milk) is an alternative name for the
Milky Way in Hindu texts in Sanskrit.

Young black hole is nearby, NASA says; doorway to a new universe?

Asteroid 2012 DA14 is bearing down on Earth, rattling nerves and making sci-fi fans eyes
light up. But the cool science news doesnt stop there. Researchers believe they may have
spotted the youngest black hole in the Milky Way galaxy, and from scientists point of view
its not far away.
When it comes to black holes, it can be hard to differentiate the science from the science
fiction. Remember Nikodem Poplawskis 2010 theory that our universe is within a black
hole which is within another universe altogether. That sounds like Disneys 1979 film The
Black Hole.

Stephen Hawking, theoretical physicist and cosmologist, recalls seeing the film in an essay on black holes,
saying the hole in the film provides a passage from one universe to another. He goes on to say the
wormholes of science fiction provide an interstellar space-travel short-cut, a workaround to the Einstein
speed limit.
And this fascinating space phenomenon is relatively nearby, just 26,000 light-years away. So, astronomers
plan to study it closely, NASA says.
The space agency, whose Chandra X-Ray Observatory provided data, says not only is the black hole nearby
and young, at just 1,000 years (think like a scientist here), but it also was created in a very rare way.
It appears its parent star ended its life in a way that most others dont, said Laura Lopez in a news
release. Lopez led the study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The supernova explosion that occurred when this star ran out of fuel was peculiar, NASA said. Oddities
included the way the star exploded with jets shooting away from the stars poles making the
supernova elongated and elliptical.
Also surprising was what the supernova failed to leave behind.
There was no neutron star. The collapse of some massive stars leaves this dense, spinning core. But not
this time. Megan Watzke, press officer at NASAs Chandra X-Ray Observatory, told the Los Angeles
Times on Wednesday that, indeed, its that lack of evidence that points to the existence of a black hole.

In this case the lack of pulsations from the other possible explanation (a rapidly rotating dense star
called a neutron star) add to the evidence that a black hole is there, Watzke said. In other situations,
however, astronomers can detect the black holes presence by its influence on the material around it.
The possible black hole and the reason behind it remain something of a mystery.
As Lopez says in a blog post, these exotic explosions can happen within our own galaxy, and further study
will give great insights into how these awesome events come about.
The study and results of the Chandra observation on the possible black hole will appear in a paper in
Sundays Astrophysical Journal.

Planets

Views of the Solar System

Our Milkyway Galaxy
This image of our galaxy, the Milky Way, was taken with NASA's Cosmic
Background Explorer's (COBE) Diffuse Infrared Background Experiment
(DIRBE). This never-before-seen view shows the Milky Way from an edge-on
perspective with the galactic north pole at the top, the south pole at the bottom
and the galactic center at the center. The picture combines images obtained at
several near-infrared wavelengths. Stars within our galaxy are the dominant source of light at these
wavelengths. Even though our solar system is part of the Milky Way, the view looks distant because most
of the light comes from the population of stars that are closer to the galactic center than our own Sun.
(Courtesy NASA)
Our Milky Way Gets a Makeover
Like
early explorers mapping the continents of our globe, astronomers are busy charting the
spiral structure of our galaxy, the Milky Way. Using infrared images from NASA's
Spitzer Space Telescope, scientists have discovered that the Milky Way's elegant
spiral structure is dominated by just two arms wrapping off the ends of a central
bar
of stars. Previously, our galaxy was thought to possess four major arms.
This
artist's concept illustrates the new view of the Milky Way, along with other
findings presented at the 212th American Astronomical Society meeting in St. Louis, Mo. The galaxy's two
major arms (Scutum-Centaurus and Perseus) can be seen attached to the ends of a thick central bar, while
the two now-demoted minor arms (Norma and Sagittarius) are less distinct and located between the major
arms. The major arms consist of the highest densities of both young and old stars; the minor arms are
primarily filled with gas and pockets of star-forming activity.
The artist's concept also includes a new spiral arm, called the "Far-3 kiloparsec arm," discovered via a
radio-telescope survey of gas in the Milky Way. This arm is shorter than the two major arms and lies along
the bar of the galaxy.
Our sun lies near a small, partial arm called the Orion Arm, or Orion Spur, located between the Sagittarius
and Perseus arms. (Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech)
Spiral Galaxy, NGC 4414
The majestic galaxy, NGC 4414, is located 60 million light-years away. Like the Milky Way, NGC 4414 is
a giant spiral-shaped disk of stars, with a bulbous central hub of older yellow and red stars. The outer spiral
arms are considerably bluer due to ongoing formation of young, blue stars, the brightest of which can be
seen individually at the high resolution provided by the Hubble camera. The arms are also very rich in
clouds of interstellar dust, seen as dark patches and streaks silhouetted against the starlight. (Courtesy

NASA/STSCI)
Obliquity of the Eight Planets
This illustration shows the obliquity of the eight planets. Obliquity is the angle between
a
planet's equatorial plane and its orbital plane. By International Astronomical Union (IAU)
convention, a planet's north pole lies above the ecliptic plane. By this convention,
Venus, Uranus, and Pluto have a retrograde rotation, or a rotation that is in the
opposite direction from the other planets. (Copyright 2008 by Calvin J.
Hamilton)
The Solar System
During the past three

decades a myriad of space explorers have escaped the confines

of planet Earth and have set out to discover
our planetary neighbors. This picture shows
the Sun and all nine planets of the solar
system as seen by the space explorers.
Starting at the top-left corner is the Sun followed by the planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter,
Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. (Copyright 1998 by Calvin J. Hamilton)
Sun and Planets
This image shows the Sun and nine planets approximately to scale. The order of
these bodies are: Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus,
Neptune, and Pluto. (Copyright Calvin J. Hamilton)
Jovian Planets
This image shows the Jovian planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune
approximately to scale. The Jovian planets are named because of their gigantic
Jupiter-like appearance. (Copyright Calvin J. Hamilton)
The Largest Moons and Smallest Planets
This image shows the relative sizes of the largest moons and the
smallest planets in the solarsystem. The largest satellites pictured
in this image are: Ganymede (5262 km), Titan (5150 km), Callisto (4806 km), Io (3642 km), the Moon
(3476 km), Europa (3138 km), Triton (2706 km), and Titania (1580 km). Both
Ganymede and Titan are larger than planet Mercury followed by Io, the Moon,
Europa, and Triton which are larger than the planet Pluto. (Copyright Calvin J.
Hamilton)

a diagram of how the

(Courtesy NASA/JPL)

Diagram of Portrait Frames

On February 14, 1990, the cameras of Voyager 1 pointed
back toward the Sun and took a series of pictures of the
Sun and the planets, making the first ever "portrait" of
our solar system as seen from the outside. This image is
frames for the solar system portrait were taken.

All Frames from the Family Portrait

This image shows the series of pictures of the Sun and the planets taken on February 14, 1990, for the solar

system family portrait as seen from the outside. In the course of taking this mosaic consisting of a total of
60 frames, Voyager 1 made several images of the inner solar system from a distance of approximately 6.4
billion kilometers (4 billion miles) and about 32 above the ecliptic plane. Thirty-nine wide angle frames
link together six of the planets of our solar system in this mosaic. Outermost Neptune is 30 times further
from the Sun than Earth. Our Sun is seen as the bright object in the center of the
circle of frames. The insets show the planets magnified many times. (Courtesy
NASA/JPL)
Portrait of the Solar System
These six narrow-angle color images were made from the first ever "portrait" of
the solar system taken by Voyager 1, which was more than 6.4 billion kilometers
(4 billion miles) from Earth and about 32 above the ecliptic. Mercury is too close
to the Sun to be seen. Mars was not detectable by the Voyager cameras due to scattered sunlight in the
optics, and Pluto was not included in the mosaic because of its small size and distance from the Sun. These
blown-up images, left to right and top to bottom are Venus, Earth, Jupiter, Saturn,
Uranus, and Neptune. (Courtesy NASA/JPL)

Sun and Planet Summary

The following table lists statistical information for the Sun and planets:
Distan Radius Mass Rotatio
#
Orbital
Orbital Obliquit Densit
ce
(Earth's (Earth's
n
Moons Inclinati Eccentrici
y
y
(AU)
)
)
(Earth's
on
ty
(g/cm3)
)
332,80
25-36*
0

Sun

109

---

---

---

1.410

Mercur
y

0.39

0.38

0.05

58.8

0.2056

0.1

5.43

Venus

0.72

0.95

0.89

244

3.394

0.0068

177.4

5.25

Earth

1.0

1.00

1.00

1.00

0.000

0.0167

23.45

5.52

Mars

1.5

0.53

0.11

1.029

1.850

0.0934

25.19

3.95

Jupiter

5.2

11

318

0.411

16

1.308

0.0483

3.12

1.33

Saturn

9.5

95

0.428

18

2.488

0.0560

26.73

0.69

Uranus

19.2

17

0.748

15

0.774

0.0461

97.86

1.29

Neptun
e

30.1

17

0.802

1.774

0.0097

29.56

1.64

Pluto

39.5

0.18

0.002

0.267

17.15

0.2482

119.6

2.03

* The Sun's period of rotation at the surface varies from approximately 25 days at the equator to 36 days at
the poles. Deep down, below the convective zone, everything appears to rotate with a period of 27 days.

The Solar System

Our solar system consists of an average star we call the Sun, the planets Mercury, Venus,
Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. It includes: the satellites of the
planets; numerous comets, asteroids, and meteoroids; and the interplanetary medium. The
Sun is the richest source of electromagnetic energy (mostly in the form of heat and light) in
the solar system. The Sun's nearest known stellar neighbor is a red dwarf star called Proxima
Centauri, at a distance of 4.3 light years away. The whole solar system, together with the
local stars visible on a clear night, orbits the center of our home galaxy, a spiral disk of 200
billion stars we call the Milky Way. The Milky Way has two small galaxies orbiting it nearby,
which are visible from the southern hemisphere. They are called the Large Magellanic Cloud
and the Small Magellanic Cloud. The nearest large galaxy is the Andromeda Galaxy. It is a
spiral galaxy like the Milky Way but is 4 times as massive and is 2 million light years away.
Our galaxy, one of billions of galaxies known, is traveling through intergalactic space.

The planets, most of the satellites of the planets and the asteroids revolve around the Sun in the same
direction, in nearly circular orbits. When looking down from above the Sun's north pole, the planets orbit in
a counter-clockwise direction. The planets orbit the Sun in or near the same plane, called the ecliptic. Pluto
is a special case in that its orbit is the most highly inclined (18 degrees) and the most highly elliptical of all
the planets. Because of this, for part of its orbit, Pluto is closer to the Sun than is Neptune. The axis of
rotation for most of the planets is nearly perpendicular to the ecliptic. The exceptions are Uranus and Pluto,
which are tipped on their sides.
Composition Of The Solar System
The Sun contains 99.85% of all the matter in the Solar System. The planets, which
condensed out of the same disk of material that formed the Sun, contain only 0.135% of the
mass of the solar system. Jupiter contains more than twice the matter of all the other planets
combined. Satellites of the planets, comets, asteroids, meteoroids, and the interplanetary
medium constitute the remaining 0.015%. The following table is a list of the mass
distribution within our Solar System.

Sun: 99.85%

Planets: 0.135%

Comets: 0.01% ?

Satellites: 0.00005%

Minor Planets: 0.0000002% ?

Meteoroids: 0.0000001% ?

Interplanetary Medium: 0.0000001% ?

Interplanetary Space
Nearly all the solar system by volume appears to be an empty void. Far from being
nothingness, this vacuum of "space" comprises the interplanetary medium. It includes
various forms of energy and at least two material components: interplanetary dust and
interplanetary gas. Interplanetary dust consists of microscopic solid particles. Interplanetary
gas is a tenuous flow of gas and charged particles, mostly protons and electrons -- plasma -which stream from the Sun, called the solar wind.

The solar wind can be measured by spacecraft, and it has a large effect on comet tails. It also has a
measurable effect on the motion of spacecraft. The speed of the solar wind is about 400 kilometers (250
miles) per second in the vicinity of Earth's orbit. The point at which the solar wind meets the interstellar
medium, which is the "solar" wind from other stars, is called the heliopause. It is a boundary theorized to
be roughly circular or teardrop-shaped, marking the edge of the Sun's influence perhaps 100 AU from the
Sun. The space within the boundary of the heliopause, containing the Sun and solar system, is referred to as
the heliosphere.
The solar magnetic field extends outward into interplanetary space; it can be measured on Earth and by
spacecraft. The solar magnetic field is the dominating magnetic field throughout the interplanetary regions
of the solar system, except in the immediate environment of planets which have their own magnetic fields.
The Terrestrial Planets

The terrestrial planets are the four innermost planets in the solar system, Mercury, Venus,
Earth and Mars. They are called terrestrial because they have a compact, rocky surface like
the Earth's. The planets, Venus, Earth, and Mars have significant atmospheres while Mercury
has almost none. The following diagram shows the approximate distance of the terrestrial
planets to the Sun.

The Jovian Planets

Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are known as the Jovian (Jupiter-like) planets, because
they are all gigantic compared with Earth, and they have a gaseous nature like Jupiter's. The
Jovian planets are also referred to as the gas giants, although some or all of them might have
small solid cores. The following diagram shows the approximate distance of the Jovian
planets to the Sun.

Milky Way Galaxy Territory Map (Updated)

EDIT 2014: I have updated the map to include the names of all Transpace Worlds, Primary Fortress Worlds, and
other worlds that are relevant to Rise. Black text with white outline are Transpace Worlds - civilized planets in the
same system as a Transpace. Black text with red outline are Fortress Worlds - planets that are highly militarized
and serve as a base of operations for the host civilization's military, as well as featuring significant restaging and
construction abilities.
For the most part, each Fortress World is the Primary one of the civilization in which it lies. For the Siions, both
Siionkagh and Tranis are Primary Fortress Worlds - Siionkagh protects Oriciid'kas, the capital of the whole CSA,
while Tranis protects Siionleh, the capital of the USN. Maasen is not a *Primary* Fortress World, but it is a
Fortress World that nonetheless features in Rise.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------So I decided to update my old galaxy map fav.me/d2vbitz so that it more properly reflects my new ideas, as well
as the now-commonly-accepted idea that the Milky Way has primarily two arms, not four. [Edit: apparently we're
back to believing that the galaxy has four arms. Tch. Well I'm not changing this map again.] This map also has
an actual image of the Milky Way underneath, which I imagine makes it a bit easier to read.
If I ever bother to learn flash actionscript then I might make an interactive version of this map, which would be
much easier to read. Don't get your hopes up though.

Notes on the items presented in the map:

-The CSA is what the GTC was on the old map, just more cohesive. Instead of just trading with each other, the
members of the CSA have a single government at their head, that functions similarly to the UN but with more
power.
-The Spykes have been changed to the Syraus, and their Homeworld, Tryke, has been changed to Tyrnaus. The
new names seem less ridiculous while still staying with the r-s-t, x-y-z naming scheme I had for the Taizen
civilizations.
-Space Exploration, Reconnaissance, and Response Command (SERRCom) is the international organization set up
by Earth to control all matters extraterrestrial. They also have a diplomatic counterpart, the Department of
Earthian Diplomacy (DEDi).
-The Nimalians and Earthians actually hold territory in the new map.
-The Black Suns are an independent organization that function primarily as mercenaries, but also have branches
that delve into R&D and exploration. The Black Suns hold planets all over the galaxy, even within the territory of
the other civilizations (with the permission of the host civilization), but the Sector Hubs are where the primary
bases and command posts are.
-The Drakkar homeworlds have actual names now!
-Dead Space is space where no Chaos Energy is present, disallowing the use of all Chaos Energy-based
technology (including some of the more primitive FTL drives).