The stable path of Earth around the Sun is analogous to which phenomenon in galactic mechanics?

Stars orbiting the galactic center due to balanced velocity and gravity

The relationship between the Earth and the Sun serves as a fundamental analogy for how stars behave within the larger structure of the Milky Way galaxy. The Sun's gravity dictates Earth's path, keeping it in a stable, curved orbit because the Earth possesses sufficient tangential velocity to counterbalance the inward pull. Similarly, individual stars within the galaxy are constantly moving sideways (possessing orbital velocity) at a rate that perfectly matches the inward attractive force exerted by the galaxy's total mass centered on the core. This precise balance between the star's sideways motion and the galaxy's gravitational pull locks the star into its established orbital path around the galactic center.