Earth is located in which galaxy

Other galaxies are smooth and oval shaped. They have irregular shapes and look like blobs. The light that we see from each of these galaxies comes from the stars inside it.

Sometimes galaxies get too close and smash into each other. Our Milky Way galaxy will someday bump into Andromeda, our closest galactic neighbor. But even if it happened tomorrow, you might not notice. What Is a Galaxy? The Short Answer:. This is a vast filament of galactic superclusters measuring about million light years across AND a billion light years long. The middle is just over that way. Right over there.

One billion light years in length? Well that makes Andromeda seem right around the corner. So where are we? Where are you, and I and the Earth located in the entire Universe? The edge of the observable Universe is about But it's also And that way, and that way. And cosmologists think that if you travel in any direction long enough, you'll return to your starting point, just like how you can travel in any one direction on the surface of the Earth and return right back at your starting point.

In other words, the Earth is located at the very, very center of the Universe. Which sounds truly amazing. What a strange coincidence for you and I to be located right here. Dead center. Smack dab right in the middle of the Universe. Certainly makes us sound important doesn't it? But considering that every other spot in the Universe is also located at the center of the universe.

You heard me right. Every single spot that you can imagine inside the Universe is also the center of the Universe. That definitely complicates things in our plans for Universal relevance. And all this sure does make Andromeda seem close by…. Oh, and about every spot in the universe being the center of the Universe? Well, we'll save that one for another episode. Explore further. More from Astronomy and Astrophysics. Use this form if you have come across a typo, inaccuracy or would like to send an edit request for the content on this page.

For general inquiries, please use our contact form. More importantly, it is believed that this mass helps keep the galaxy from tearing itself apart as it rotates. The Solar System and Earth is located about 25, light-years to the galactic center and 25, light-years away from the rim. Astronomers have agreed that the Milky Way probably has two major spiral arms — Perseus arm and the Scutum-Centaurus arm — with several smaller arms and spurs.

The Solar System is located in a region in between the two arms called the Orion-Cygnus arm. This arm measures 3, light-years across and is 10, light-years in length, where it breaks off from the Sagittarius Arm. The fact that the Milky Way divides the night sky into two roughly equal hemispheres indicates that the Solar System lies near the galactic plane.

The Milky Way has a relatively low surface brightness due to the gases and dust that fills the galactic disk. That prevents us from seeing the bright galactic center or from observing clearly what is on the other side of it. The last time the Solar System was in this position in the Milky Way, there were still dinosaurs on Earth. The next time, who knows? Humanity might be extinct, or it might have evolved into something else entirely.

Marschall in the department of physics at Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pa. Get smart. Sign Up. Support science journalism. Knowledge awaits. See Subscription Options Already a subscriber? Create Account See Subscription Options. Continue reading with a Scientific American subscription.