The Milky Way is one of the biggest in the observable universe: Even if you traveled at the speed of light, it would take 100,000 years to go from one end of our home galaxy to the other.

Our solar system, for instance, moves at approximately 450,000 mph (200 km/s) through the Orion Arm of the Milky Way. However ...

Our solar system lives on a minor arm of the Milky way called the Orion Spur. The Orion Spur branches off from the Sagittarius Arm, one of the galaxy's two major spiral arms. Earth's circumference ...

Millions of years ago, our Solar System traveled through a densely populated galactic region and was exposed to increased interstellar dust.