Related questions with answers

Two students are debating their answers to the previous questions: Student 1: Stars far from the center of the Milky Way are all moving at about the same speed . If most of the Milky Way's mass is located in its center, then stars far away from the center would orbit slower than stars closer to the center. Since this is not what we see, this must mean there is more mass throughout the outer regions of the galaxy than we can see. This a/so means that the Milky Way's stars feel a greater gravitational force than we originally expected. Student 2: / disagree. There are fewer stars in the outskirts of the Milky Way than in the center, so there 's less mass out there than at the center. Most of the Milky Way's mass must be at its center . So, since the stars are all going about the same speed, where the mass is located must not affect their speed. The gravitational force these stars feel probably gets weaker just like we would expect. Do you agree or disagree with either or both of the students? Explain your reasoning.

Question

Is there more or less mass in the Milky Way's disk and halo than we can see? Explain your reasoning.

Solution

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From the real rotation curve of the MWG, orbital speed appears to increase up until the edge of the central bulge, then plateaus beyond.

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