Revised Estimate: Milky Way's Mass Half of Previous Beliefs

A new study using data from the Gaia spacecraft has calculated a more accurate mass of the Milky Way, revealing that it is only about half as heavy as previously estimated. By analyzing the rotation curve of the galaxy, the researchers found that the Milky Way has a mass of approximately 200 billion solar masses, significantly lower than the previous estimate of a trillion solar masses. This suggests that the galaxy contains less dark matter than previously thought.