Mass of the Central Black Hole: Suppose you observe a star orbiting the galactic center at a speed of 1,000 km/s in a circular orbit with a radius of 20 light-days. Using the orbital velocity equation, estimate the mass of the object that the star is orbiting?
Mass of the Milky Way: a) The Large Magellanic Cloud is a small galaxy that orbits the Milky Way. It is currently orbiting the Milky Way at a distance of roughly 160,000 light-years from the galactic center at a velocity of about 300 km/s. Use these values in the orbital velocity law to get an estimate of the Milky Way's mass within 160,000 light-years from the center. b) How does your estimated mass of the Milky Way compare to your estimated mass of the central black hole (above)? Do you think the central black hole has much effect on the Sun's orbit around the galaxy?