What is the approximate duration of a galactic year for a typical star in the disk?
Answer
Roughly 240 million years
A typical star orbiting the center of the Milky Way takes roughly $240$ million years to complete one full revolution around the Galactic Center. This period is used to define what is referred to as a galactic year. This duration emphasizes the massive timescales involved in galactic dynamics. During this time, the star is engaged in a delicate, continuous orbital dance, perfectly balancing its outward inertia—a result of its high orbital velocity, such as the Sun's $220 ext{ km/s}$—against the continuous, substantial inward gravitational tether provided by the galaxy's mass distribution, particularly the dark matter halo.
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