Thickness & Distance of Milky Way at Sun's Location

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    Milky way Thickness
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the thickness of the Milky Way galaxy at the sun's location and the sun's position relative to the galactic plane. Participants explore various sources and interpretations regarding these measurements.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Technical explanation, Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant inquires about the specific thickness of the Milky Way at the sun's location and the sun's distance from the top or bottom of the galaxy.
  • Another participant cites Wikipedia, stating that the thickness of the Milky Way's disk is approximately 2000 light-years.
  • A different participant references additional details from Wikipedia, noting the sun's distance from the Galactic Center and its position relative to the central plane of the Galactic disk, which is reported as 5–30 parsecs (16–98 light-years).
  • One participant expresses uncertainty, suggesting that the 2000 light-years figure may represent an average thickness rather than a specific measurement at the sun's location.
  • There is acknowledgment of the lack of clarity regarding whether the sun is positioned above or below the galactic plane.
  • Participants indicate difficulty in finding specific thickness information through online searches.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the specific thickness of the Milky Way at the sun's location, and there are competing interpretations regarding the average thickness versus local measurements. The discussion remains unresolved.

Contextual Notes

There are limitations in the discussion regarding the definitions of thickness and the specific measurements at the sun's location, as well as the uncertainty about the sun's position relative to the galactic plane.

lifeonmercury
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What is the thickness of the Milky Way at the sun's location, and how far is the sun toward the top/bottom?
 
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According to Wiki, the thickness of the disk is about 2000 ly.
 
From wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milky_Way#Sun.E2.80.99s_location_and_neighborhood
The Sun is near the inner rim of the Orion Arm, within the Local Fluff of the Local Bubble, and in the Gould Belt, at a distance of 8.33 ± 0.35 kiloparsecs (27,200 ± 1,100 ly) from the Galactic Center.[14][88][139] The Sun is currently 5–30 parsecs (16–98 ly) from the central plane of the Galactic disk.

I don't see a number given for the thickness of the milky way at our position, but I'm sure a google search will turn it up.
 
I saw that on Wikipedia too, but I assumed that the 2,000ly figure is the Milky Way's average thickness, and not the thickness of the galaxy at our specific location.

Thanks for the information about the sun being 16-98ly from the galactic plane. It doesn't specify above or below, however.

Unfortunately I couldn't find the thickness information using Google.
 

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