The Milky Way has a mass of 700 billion times the Sun.

The most accurate measurement conducted by Canadian scientists shows the total mass of stars, black holes, dust, dark matter and unspecified flying objects of the Milky Way range of 700 billion times that of the Sun.

According to previous data from standard measurements for large celestial bodies, the Milky Way has a mass of 1,000 billion times the Sun. Scientists began calculating Earth's mass two centuries ago and determined the distance from the Earth to the Sun. Later, using Newton's equation, they found that the Sun's mass was 330,000 times the mass of the Earth.

But the Milky Way is more difficult to calculate. In order to make relatively accurate estimates, astronomers must be sure of the speed of objects far away. In addition, only a portion of the Milky Way can be observed through a telescope.

Dark matter can account for 88% of the Milky Way's mass.(Photo: NASA).

"We see everything from the position and movement of the Sun in the Milky Way. It is important that we measure the motion and position of other celestial bodies based on the motion and position of the Sun. years, astronomers put a lot of effort into figuring out how to calculate the Milky Way mass , " Guardian quoted Gwendolyn Eadie, a graduate student at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, the study's lead author. .

Eadie and Professor William Harris, astronomers and physicists at McMaster University have come up with a way to estimate the mass of galaxies to allow calculations to become more feasible. They published the study at the annual meeting of the Canadian Astronomical Society on May 31 in Winnipeg.

The study provides a deeper understanding of dark matter , an invisible mass that cannot be touched but acts as a binding agent in every galaxy. Until now, scientists have yet to find dark matter.

According to Eadie, the mass of dark matter in the galaxy plays an important role in the galaxy's formation and evolution . Some characteristics such as star formation speed and super black hole size depend on the mass of galaxies.

Eadie said the new method helps estimate the total physical mass in every distance from the galaxy center. The Milky Way is about 100-120 million light-years long. Compare measurements and results of better calculation conditions and more accurate modeling of the Milky Way. After comparing the estimated total mass with the amount of tangible material, the team determined dark matter accounted for about 88% of the Milky Way's mass.