The Milky Way is a spiral galaxy, containing billions of stars, planets, and solar systems. Our Sun is located in one of the galaxy’s arms, and it takes the Sun about 225 million years to orbit the center of the galaxy. The galaxy itself spans about 100,000 light years across.
Many other galaxies exist in the universe, but the Milky Way remains one of the most studied, offering scientists a glimpse into the life cycle of galaxies. It’s also home to several star clusters and nebulae, which are regions where new stars are born.