A cosmic year is approximately 225-250 million years, so roughly how far are we currently through this orbit?
It is very difficult to appreciate how long of a time a cosmic year is.
It takes our solar system approximately 225 million years to complete one full orbit around the galactic center.
This colossal timeframe, dwarfed only by the age of the universe itself, makes a single human lifetime seem like less than a blink of an eye.
We’re cruising through the cosmos at a breakneck speed of roughly 230 kilometers per second, but the Milky Way is so mind-boggingly vast that we’ve barely made a dent in our galactic lap.
Astronomers estimate the age of our solar system to be around 4.6 billion years, a mere 20 or so cosmic years.
Early Solar System, some 4.6 eons ago.
That means we’ve orbited the Milky Way’s center only a handful of times since our humble beginnings.
If you’re picturing a neat, circular racetrack, forget it.
Our solar system’s path around the galactic center is more like a drunken stumble, a wobbly, elliptical orbit that takes us above and below the galactic plane.
We’re not sure how many cosmic laps we’ve completed, as our galaxy’s structure and our place within it are still under intense scrutiny by astronomers. Although many believe we are in the 21st cosmic year.
Understand, we’re still cosmic toddlers, just beginning to explore our galactic neighborhood.
Not even old enough to drink in cosmic years (if that were a thing, which it’s not, because, you know, space).
But, who’s counting?
We’ve got plenty of time to enjoy the ride.
Just try not to think about the fact that by the time we complete another cosmic year, humanity might be long gone, replaced by sentient cockroaches or something equally horrifying.
That’s the beauty of the cosmos though.
It’s vast, mysterious, and utterly indifferent to our existence.