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Learn about the position of Earth in the Solar System, the Milky Way galaxy and the observable universe. See tables, diagrams and references for different scales and features of Earth's location.
The Milky Way is the galaxy that includes the Solar System, with a diameter of 26.8 ± 1.1 kiloparsecs (87,400 ± 3,600 light-years ). It is a barred spiral galaxy with a supermassive black hole at its center and many satellite galaxies.
The galactic coordinate system is a celestial coordinate system with the Sun as its center, the primary direction aligned with the center of the Milky Way Galaxy, and the fundamental plane parallel to an approximation of the galactic plane but offset to its north. It is used to locate objects in the sky with respect to the galaxy, and it is different from the supergalactic coordinate system ...
Orion Arm is a minor spiral arm in the Milky Way Galaxy that contains the Solar System and many bright stars and nebulae. Learn about its location, composition, form, and Messier objects in this comprehensive article.
Laniakea Supercluster is the galaxy supercluster that contains the Milky Way and about 100,000 other nearby galaxies. It was defined in 2014 by a new method based on galaxy velocities and has four subparts: Virgo, Hydra–Centaurus, Great Attractor, and Antlia Wall.
Astronomers using the Gaia space telescope have located two ancient streams of stars that helped the Milky Way galaxy grow and evolve more than 12 billion years ago.
Learn about the reference frame for the supercluster of galaxies that contains the Milky Way, based on a local flat collection of galaxy clusters. Find out the history, definition, and transformation of the supergalactic coordinate system, and see examples of nearby galaxies plotted in the supergalactic plane.
Learn about the Sun and the objects that orbit it, including the eight planets, the nine dwarf planets, and the small bodies such as asteroids, comets, and moons. Explore the formation, evolution, and features of the Solar System and its place in the Milky Way galaxy.