NASAAnd how fast is the Milky Way Galaxy moving? The speed turns out to be an astounding 1.3 million miles per hour (2.1 million km/hr)! We are moving roughly in the direction on the sky that is defined by the constellations of Leo and Virgo. Although the reasons for this motion are not fully understood, astronomers believe that there is a huge concentration of matter in this direction. Some people call it The Great Attractor, although we now know that the pull is probably not due to one group of galaxies but many. Still the extra gravity in this direction pulls the Milky Way (and many neighbor galaxies) in that direction.
The Milky Way's velocity is approximately 552 kilometers per second (km/s) relative to the cosmic microwave background (CMB), which is the radiation leftover from the Big Bang.
The Milky Way's velocity is measured using a technique called radial velocity. This involves measuring the Doppler shift of light from stars and gas clouds in the Milky Way. The faster the object is moving away from us, the more its light will be shifted towards the red end of the spectrum.
No, the Milky Way's velocity is not constant. It is constantly changing due to the gravitational pull of nearby galaxies, such as Andromeda, and the overall expansion of the universe.
The Milky Way's velocity is considered to be relatively slow compared to other galaxies. Some galaxies can have velocities of over 1000 km/s, while others may have velocities close to 0 km/s.
The Milky Way's velocity has a significant impact on our solar system. It determines our position within the galaxy and influences the motion of our solar system around the galactic center. It also affects the distribution of stars and gas in our galaxy, which can impact the formation and evolution of our solar system.