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Old 02-January-2009, 08:26 PM
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pzkpfw pzkpfw is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ANLWhip View Post
so its the rotation of the galaxy and the mass of the galaxy itself that throws it out into the disc like shape?
Yes.

I like to think of a lump of Pizza dough - spin it and the mass flings out while at the same time the gluten holds it together. This naturally turns it into a disk.

The difference between gravity and gluten, is that the effect of Gravity is felt in all directions. (That is, you don't have to be within the "disk" of the Galaxy to feel gravity from the objects within the Galaxy. You could be "above" the disk and be gravitationally attracted to it.)

Quote:
Originally Posted by ANLWhip View Post
and in conclsion the black hole has no effect on our milky way galaxy, certainly not the kind of effect the sun has on our tiny solar system?
Pretty much yes. The central black hole isn't by itself holding the Galaxy together.

For us, it's just the most massive of the many things at or near the core of the Galaxy.
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