59.3k views
5 votes
**DUE TOMORROW NEED ANSWER ASAP**

If the entire mass of the Milky Way was due to gas and stars, how would you expect the rotational speed of a star near the edge of the galaxy to compare to the rotational speed of a star near the center?

1 Answer

1 vote

Answer:

We would expect stars near the edge of the galaxy to rotate slower than stars near the center. This is because the rotational speed of objects in a rotating system depends on their distance from the center of rotation. Stars near the center of the galaxy are closer to the gravitational center of the galaxy's mass, so they feel a stronger gravitational pull and rotate faster. Stars near the edge are farther from the center, so they feel a weaker gravitational pull and rotate slower. This results in a gradient of rotational speeds, with the fastest speeds near the galactic center and slower speeds near the edges.

User Arxakoulini
by
7.0k points