The Ladder of Scale · structure
Milky Way dark halo
Galaxy · 2 million ly
- Coordinates
- origin — we are inside it
- RA (deg)
- 0
- Dec (deg)
- 0
- Within
- Local Group
- Recognised
- 1970
- Population
- ~1.2 × 10¹² solar masses
- Size (ly)
- 2000000
- Kind
- Galaxy
Notes
The invisible mass the galaxy actually sits in, five times heavier than everything that shines and reaching far past the visible disc. Its size is inferred from how the outer satellites move.
Open on the The Ladder of Scale shelf — the interactive card, the filters, and everything alongside it.