milky way
Diameter: 120,000 light years
The Milky Way galaxy currently consists of 3,916 discovered solar systems. That means we have more than three thousand families just like ours, and many more to be found.
At the center of the Milky Way is a supermassive black hole that the galaxy orbits around. It is known as Sagittarius A* and is 4.3 million times more massive than the Sun.
Our solar system is located in what's known as the Orion Arm. This is just one of the branches or spurs of the four main arms of our galaxy. It is about 27,000 light years away from Sagittarius A*.
In about 4.5 billion years, the Milky Way will collide with its neighboring galaxy, Andromeda. Together, they will form a new galaxy. Our solar system will survive this but will take a new position in the universe.
Listen to NASA's sonification of what a black hole sounds like