How many times has the sun traveled around the Milky Way?

[admin]

Our solar system has been orbiting the Milky Way's black hole heart for 4.6 billion years. But it is hard to pin down exactly how many trips around the galaxy our sun has made during that time.

How many times has the sun traveled around the Milky Way? : Read more

 

[burntsushi]

So the followup question, since we seem to be moving away from the center, is - what would happen if our solar system was no longer orbiting the Milky Way's blackhole? Is our sun getting some energy (or something else it needs to stay in equilibrium) from its galaxy? Obviously if the Earth was ejected from our solar system, it would be devastating for us because of our reliance on energy from the sun; but would it be devastating for us if our solar system were ejected from the Milky Way galaxy?

 

[KMcB]

Our solar system has been orbiting the Milky Way's black hole heart for 4.6 billion years. But it is hard to pin down exactly how many trips around the galaxy our sun has made during that time.

How many times has the sun traveled around the Milky Way? : Read more

Imagining the big picture of earth, sun, galaxy motion always makes me giddy. It was a great way to start the day. Thank you to Mr Baker!

Some time ago I attempted to (roughly) calculate how far the earth has traveled around the galaxy since the evolution of modern humans. That little white sliver in the attached pie chart was the result. Every time I look at it Carl Sagan's famous refrain starts playing in my mind.

"Look again at that... everyone human being that ever was.. the aggregate of our joy and suffering.. our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the universe, are challenged.."

Thanks be to the researchers and explainers who make such insights possible.

 

[Bruzote]

So the followup question, since we seem to be moving away from the center, is - what would happen if our solar system was no longer orbiting the Milky Way's blackhole? Is our sun getting some energy (or something else it needs to stay in equilibrium) from its galaxy? Obviously if the Earth was ejected from our solar system, it would be devastating for us because of our reliance on energy from the sun; but would it be devastating for us if our solar system were ejected from the Milky Way galaxy?

Also, might our solar system pass near a more massive system and be directed into the crowded center? Is it hard for civilizations to survive passage through the core of the galaxy, with so much more radiation and possible star interactions to rip planets from their parent stars?