The Milky Way is the galaxy in which the Solar System is located, and in turn the planet Earth is located. According to the latest research, it has a mass of 10 solar masses. It has an average diameter of 200,000 light years and is home to between 200,000 and 400,000 million stars. It is interesting to know where it comes from in Greek mythology.
The Milky Way has had great importance in many civilizations throughout history. The Vikings believed that it was the road that led to Valhalla , while the Aztecs believed that it was the god Mixcoati, who ruled the night sky.
The Milky Way in Greek mythology
Legend has it that the Greek god Zeus , who was unfaithful to his wife Hera, had a son with Alcmena, named Heracles. When Hera found out, she made Alcmena carry Heracles for 10 months. When I was 8 months old, I sent two snakes to kill the baby. But Heracles was able to get rid of them. However, Heracles managed to get rid of them and became Zeus’s favorite.
Athena, the goddess of wisdom , managed to convince Hera that Heracles would suck on her. But Heracles sucked the milk violently, to the point of injuring Hera, who spilled the milk.
Discovery of the Milky Way
It is difficult to know for sure who discovered the Milky Way . The most widely accepted theory is that it was Galileo Galilei who first recognized the existence of a band of light in the galaxy. He did so in the early seventeenth century, when using his telescope, he observed how the galaxy was made up of thousands of stars.
However, it was not until 1920 when, from the hand of Edwin Hubble , the first evidence was obtained that the spiral nebulae present in the sky were entire galaxies. It was a great discovery because it allowed us to know with certainty what was the true shape and nature of the Milky Way.
Finally, it should be noted that the Milky Way rotates, but the stars, planets and the rest of the components do not rotate at the same direction or speed . Speed is highly dependent on distance – the closer, the faster. For example, the Sun is moving at 220 kilometers per second.
