Milky Way Galaxy

Written by: Paul W. Hodge
Alternate title: The Galaxy

Space motions

Space motions comprise a three-dimensional determination of stellar motion. They may be divided into a set of components related to directions in the Galaxy: U, directed away from the galactic centre; V, in the direction of galactic rotation; and W, toward the north galactic pole. For the nearby stars the average values for these galactic components are as follows: U = −8 km/sec, V = −28 km/sec, and W = −12 km/sec. These values are fairly similar to those for the galactic circular velocity components, which give U = −9 km/sec, V = −12 km/sec, and W = ... (100 of 15,726 words)

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