What Does Milky Way Mean
The galaxy in which our Earth is located is known as the Milky Way . Experts believe that there are housed between 200 billion and 400 billion stars in an average diameter of 100,000 light years.
The milky way (a Latin expression that can be translated into Spanish as "milk path" and that is related to the aspect of the band of light that borders the sky) is part of a set of galaxies identified as a Local Group , where it is the second largest behind Andromeda .
This mentioned group is also formed by the Triangle galaxy, the Andromeda satellites called M32 and M110, the Magellanic Clouds that act as satellites of the Milky Way itself, various satellites, nebulae and another series of smaller galaxies.
It is possible to segment the milky way into three relevant sectors: the halo (outer and inner), the disk (thin, thick and extreme) and the bulb .
The galactic halo is the structure that encompasses the galaxy. It has a very low concentration of stars and is home to most globular clusters (very old groupings of stars).
The disk is the sector of the galaxy that contains the greatest amount of gas and where star formation processes still take place. Eight spiral arms are located in the disk of the Milky Way.
The bulge, also known as the galactic nucleus , is located in the central area of the galaxy and has the highest density of stars.
In various cultures there are legends and stories that state what is the origin and formation of this aforementioned Milky Way. Thus, for example, in Greek mythology two theories are established about this fact.
The first establishes that this galaxy was formed as a result of an event that establishes as protagonists Heracles, the illegitimate son of Ulysses and that he was not among the immortal gods, and Hera, the wife of Ulysses. Specifically, it is established that that offspring was placed in the womb of the goddess Hera while she slept so that she would suckle from her and thus be able to take the milk that would give her the category of deity. However, that one woke up and separated him in a violent way, bringing with him the milk to spill and create the aforementioned Milky Way.
The second, for its part, says that it was the goddess of wisdom, Athena, who convinced Hera to breastfeed Heracles. However, it sucked with such force that it injured its "mistress" causing at the same time that the milk spilled and the galaxy that now occupies us emerged.
In addition to all this, we also have to state that in Spain, for example, that road is known in the same way by the name of the Camino de Santiago since it was formerly used by pilgrims who made this route to guide themselves and reach their destination. : the Galician city of Santiago, where the apostle of the same name rests.
The Solar System , experts say, is the name that identifies the group of planets in the Milky Way where Earth is located . This system is located in the so-called Orion Arm and would be around 28,000 light years from the central area of the aforementioned Milky Way.
It should be noted that the sun is the only star in the solar system, also composed of eight planets ( Earth , Mars , Venus , Mercury , Jupiter , Saturn , Neptune and Uranus ) and other minor bodies.