THE MILKY WAY IN NUMBERS

1.2 TRILLION YEARS: The time it would take a car travelling at 96 km/h to cross the Milky Way.

13.5 BILLION YEARS: The number of years since the Milky Way formed.

25,000 LIGHT-YEARS: Our solar system’s distance from the centre of the Milky Way.

100-400 BILLION: The number of stars scientists think are in the Milky Way. The precise figure is impossible to calculate.

HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS: The number of planets in the Milky Way if each star hosts one or several planets.

240 MILLION YEARS: The time it takes for our solar system to rotate once around the centre of the Milky Way.

4.5 BILLION YEARS: The number of years before the Milky Way is set to collide with a neighbouring galaxy called Andromeda.