From Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics: The Earth rotates on its
axis 1100 MPH and orbits the Sun at 486,000 MPH . The Sun orbits the center
of The Milky Way at 486,000 MPH taking about 226,000,000 years to complete
an orbit.

We are half way out from the center of our galaxy in the Orion arm of the
spiral. To bad you can't see The Milky Way because of the thieves of the
night, the advertising and chicken lights. The Milky Way is on the eastern
horizon at twilight. The bright center is to the southeast. The Tennessee
State Parks are cutting back on lighting so we can enjoy the night sky, so
try Fall Creek Falls for a dark sky and see.



Bobby Thompson
Labs and Observatory
Physics, Geology, and Astronomy Dept.
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
http://www.utc.edu/~jonesobs