Finding Center of Milky Ways

The purpose of this experiment is to find the galactic center of the Milky Way Galaxy using globular clusters.

Materials used in this experiment are as follows:

1-Notebook
2-Google Earth

List all known globular clusters in the Milky Way.

Choose three constellations that consist of the most globular clusters.

Open Google Earth and go to “Sky View”.

Type in the name of the three constellations.

Zoom out until all three are in view.

Download Stars and Globular Cluster app in Google Earth.

Unclick “Stars” and click “Globular Cluster”.

Click “Orbit”.

Observe the orbits of the globular clusters.

Predict where the galactic center is based on the rotations of each globular cluster.

Record Right Ascension and Declination.

Repeat eight more times to ensure accuracy.

The results of this experiment have shown to be very accurate in astronomical aspects. Most predictions of where the galactic center lay were very close to the actual coordinates. RA and Dec. are used within the results. For those who are not familiar with the meanings, RA is Right Ascension, and Dec. means Declination. Right Ascension is similar to longitude. They both measure an angle that increases towards the east. It is most commonly measured in measured in hours, minutes, and seconds. Declination is similar to latitude. It is measured in degrees north or south of the celestial equator.




Thank you ........