by Ann » Tue Jan 28, 2020 1:26 am
Chris Peterson wrote: ↑Tue Jan 28, 2020 12:38 am
Guest wrote: ↑Tue Jan 28, 2020 12:28 am
hollandinseattle wrote: ↑Tue Jan 28, 2020 12:27 am
Has anybody done the math on this? If the the galaxy is 800,000 light years across, its circumference would be a staggering 502 TRILLION light years. Is this right or am I not carrying the one?
C = r(squared) x pi
C = πD. If it is 800,000 ly across (which I'm doubtful is accurate) its circumference is about 2.4 million ly. The formula you give is for
area (although the meaning of area is a bit ambiguous for something which is shaped like a combination of a spheroid and a disc).
And that
area would be 502
billion square ly, not
trillion. (1 billion = 10
9.)
Visible disk (220,000 ly) of Andromeda Galaxy, vs halo (2 million ly).
Credits: NASA/STScI. Full size here.
As Chris said, it seems improbable that the radius of UGC 2885 is 800,000 light-years across. But its true radius does not appear to be well known.
NASA/ESA claimed that it is 2.5 times wider than the Milky Way (which would make it perhaps some 250,000 light-years across), whereas
Wikipedia wrote that it is 463,000 light-years across.
But UGC 2885 might actually be at least 800,000 light-years across, if we take its halo into account. Being an isolated galaxy in space, it is sure to have a halo. Our neighbour Andromeda, which is not isolated in space, has a huge halo. See the picture.
On a different note, different sources disagree on how wide the visible disk of Andromeda is. According to
Wikipedia, its diameter is 220,000 light-years, but according to
NASA.gov, its halo is just 6 times wider than its visible disk, even though the illustration at right suggests that the halo is 2 million light-years across.
In any case, if we include the halo of UGC 2885 its diameter might well be 800,000 light-years.
Ann
[quote="Chris Peterson" post_id=299118 time=1580171895 user_id=117706]
[quote=Guest post_id=299117 time=1580171307]
[quote=hollandinseattle post_id=299116 time=1580171247]
Has anybody done the math on this? If the the galaxy is 800,000 light years across, its circumference would be a staggering 502 TRILLION light years. Is this right or am I not carrying the one?
[/quote]
C = r(squared) x pi
[/quote]
C = πD. If it is 800,000 ly across (which I'm doubtful is accurate) its circumference is about 2.4 million ly. The formula you give is for [i]area [/i](although the meaning of area is a bit ambiguous for something which is shaped like a combination of a spheroid and a disc).
And that [i]area [/i]would be 502 [i]billion [/i]square ly, not [i]trillion[/i]. (1 billion = 10[sup]9[/sup].)
[/quote]
[float=right][img2]https://mk0astronomynow9oh6g.kinstacdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/p1515aw_940x400-326x245.jpg[/img2][c][size=85]Visible disk (220,000 ly) of Andromeda Galaxy, vs halo (2 million ly).
Credits: NASA/STScI. Full size [url=https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/nasa-s-hubble-finds-giant-halo-around-the-andromeda-galaxy]here[/url].[/size][/c][/float]
As Chris said, it seems improbable that the radius of UGC 2885 is 800,000 light-years across. But its true radius does not appear to be well known. [url=https://www.spacetelescope.org/news/heic2002/]NASA/ESA[/url] claimed that it is 2.5 times wider than the Milky Way (which would make it perhaps some 250,000 light-years across), whereas [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UGC_2885]Wikipedia[/url] wrote that it is 463,000 light-years across.
But UGC 2885 might actually be at least 800,000 light-years across, if we take its halo into account. Being an isolated galaxy in space, it is sure to have a halo. Our neighbour Andromeda, which is not isolated in space, has a huge halo. See the picture.
On a different note, different sources disagree on how wide the visible disk of Andromeda is. According to [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andromeda_Galaxy]Wikipedia[/url], its diameter is 220,000 light-years, but according to [url=https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/nasa-s-hubble-finds-giant-halo-around-the-andromeda-galaxy]NASA.gov[/url], its halo is just 6 times wider than its visible disk, even though the illustration at right suggests that the halo is 2 million light-years across.
In any case, if we include the halo of UGC 2885 its diameter might well be 800,000 light-years.
Ann