Does the Milky Way Orbit Anything? Investigating Our Galaxy's Center

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around whether the Milky Way galaxy orbits anything, particularly in relation to the gravitational dynamics involving its center, the supermassive black hole, and other galaxies in the Local Group. Participants explore concepts of orbital mechanics, the nature of gravity, and the expansion of the universe.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions whether the Milky Way galaxy orbits anything, drawing parallels to the orbits of the Earth and Moon around their common center of mass.
  • Another participant suggests that the Milky Way is bound to other galaxies in the Local Group, describing the motion as chaotic rather than a simple orbit.
  • It is proposed that the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way does not solely dictate the galaxy's orbit, as the combined mass of stars, planets, and other matter plays a significant role.
  • A participant raises questions about the nature of orbital shapes, suggesting that different shapes arise from the mass's influence on spacetime.
  • There is a speculative concept introduced comparing space to a fabric balloon, proposing a model involving white holes and the cyclical nature of mass and gravity, although this idea is met with skepticism and corrections from others.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express various viewpoints on the nature of orbits and the dynamics of the Milky Way, with no consensus reached on the specifics of what the galaxy may orbit or the implications of gravitational interactions. Disagreement exists regarding speculative ideas about the universe's structure and expansion.

Contextual Notes

Some claims rely on assumptions about gravitational interactions and the nature of spacetime that are not fully resolved. The discussion includes speculative ideas that lack empirical support and may not align with current scientific understanding.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to those exploring astrophysics, cosmology, and the dynamics of galaxies, as well as individuals curious about the nature of gravity and the universe's expansion.

sprasannaonlin
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Does the milkyway orbits anything ?? like sun orbiting center black hole of our galaxy

Does the milkyway orbits anything ?? like sun orbiting center black hole of our galaxy
i have this question bcoz
our moon moves towards(orbiting) Earth but can't reach or hit Earth bcoz Earth moves towards(orbiting) sun
but even Earth can't hit sun bcoz sun moves towards(orbiting) our galaxy centered big mass black hole but even our sun can't reach or hit center of our galaxy
so its shows that even our center of galaxy big black hole moves towards(orbiting) something??
if yes towards what ??
 
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sprasannaonlin said:
Does the milkyway orbits anything ?? like sun orbiting center black hole of our galaxy

Our galaxy is bound to the other galaxies in our "Local Group", which includes the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, The Andromeda Galaxy, and the Triangulum Galaxy. (Among others.) It's not quite an "orbit" like our planet is around our Sun, it's more like a multiple star system with each star orbiting a center of mass that varies wildly over time, leading to chaotic movement. Although in about 4 billion years our galaxy will merge with the Andromeda galaxy as the two collide.

i have this question bcoz
our moon moves towards(orbiting) Earth but can't reach or hit Earth bcoz Earth moves towards(orbiting) sun

Both the Earth and the Moon orbit around a common center of mass between themselves. This center of mass point orbits the Sun. So you could say both the Earth and the Moon orbit around each other AND AT THE SAME TIME they orbit the Sun together.

but even Earth can't hit sun bcoz sun moves towards(orbiting) our galaxy centered big mass black hole but even our sun can't reach or hit center of our galaxy

Similar to the above situation, the Earth and Sun orbit around a common center of mass, which itself orbits the galaxy. Contrary to popular belief the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy is NOT what it holding us in orbit. (But it does add to the gravitational pull of course) The mass of the stars, planets, dust, and gas inside of our own orbit FAR outdoes the mass of the black hole. It is the combination of all this mass, including the black hole, that holds us in our orbit. (I'm ignoring dark matter at the moment, but it has a significant effect too)
 


Spras, any questions should be posted in a thread, not PM'd, that way everyone can see the answers!

sprasannaonlin said:
what cause the shape of the orbit
like some planet orbits in elliptical shape some in other shape? why that diff ?? is that bcoz of the shape of the different curve a mass making in the fabric sheet like space.

All orbits are either elliptical if they are closed orbits, (meaning they stay in orbit), or hyperbolic. (If an object comes in, swings by another object, and has enough speed not to be captured) It only depends on the speed of the orbiting object. Purely circular orbits do not exist.

why universe expanding rapidly
scientist says its bcoz of space expanding in between each object equally. if that then space is a thing?? a undivisible sub atom?? fabric sheet?? balloon?

A "thing"? That depends on what you mean by a "thing". It isn't something that can be touched, measured, or anything else, yet our math accurately describes reality by saying spacetime is curved in certain ways. And it certainly isn't made up of subatomic particles. All objects and everything within the universe exist "within" spacetime. All this means is that if I want to describe a system of objects I must assign coordinates to each one. This requires 3 numbers for their spatial position, XYZ, and one more for their time coordinate if I want to track them over time. Hence 4 dimensions, 3 of space and 1 of time.


actually according to me i have a crazzy concept
that space is like a fabric balloon, in that mouth blowing part of the balloon in which a white hole is there, from that things come out even now, bcoz of that 'space balloon' expanding that's why space expanding in between each object equally.at some time all mass in the black hole at other part losses all its mass through the white hole at the mouth blowing part of the space balloon. so things from white hole will stop and eventually gravity take charge and at end it creates a great big black hole which forms a new universe at other end through white hole..

This is not correct as far as we know. Here's a few links for you.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metric_expansion_of_space
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_bang_theory

Pay close attention to what is in those articles, AND what ISN'T in those articles.
They mention nothing about white wholes or anything like that. The truth is that we have no idea what the universe was like near the beginning, or if there was something "before the universe" and whatnot. The expansion of space does not require something to exist outside of spacetime or the universe either.

sorry for asking so many questions..
No problem. Just try to take a little more time when writing your posts and use correct grammar, spelling, etc as best you can. Text speak, like "bcuz" is frowned upon here. It is hard to read and makes it seem like you didn't put any effort into writing your post. (And who wants to respond to someone who didn't take the time and effort to ask a proper question?)
 


thanks for the links, i understand a lot
i am new here
i know my english is so bad
i will try to improve it.

Thanks a lot for all.
 

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