How many years does it take the Sun to complete one orbit around the Milky Way? Note that the Sun is traveling at approximately 220 km/s and is 26,000 light-years from the center of the Milky Way.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

We can use the formula: time = distance/speed
The distance the Sun travels around the Milky Way is approximately the circumference of a circle with a radius of 26,000 light-years. Using the formula for the circumference of a circle (C = 2*pi*r), we get:
C = 2*3.14*26,000 = 163,240 light-years
Converting this to km (using 1 light-year = 9.46 trillion km), we get:
distance = 163,240 * 9.46 trillion km = 1.54 x 10^18 km
Using the given speed of the Sun (220 km/s), we can now calculate the time it takes to complete one orbit:
time = distance/speed = (1.54 x 10^18 km)/(220 km/s) = 7 x 10^15 seconds
Converting this to years (using 1 year = 31.5 million seconds), we get:
time = (7 x 10^15)/31.5 million years = 220 million years (to the nearest million)

How Many Years Does It Take the Sun to Complete