Astrophysicists from Canada provided the most accurate assessment of the mass of the Milky Way, The Guardian reported quoting Astrophysical Journal. 

The galaxy together with stars, black holes, space dust and dark matter is heavier than the Sun  (which is about 333,000 times heavier than the Earth) 700 billion times from which about 88 percent of mass of the Milky Way is dark matter.

New research focused on the role of dark matter in the galaxy and took into account all the gravitational mass of a star cluster which diameter is up to 100-120 thousand light years.

Previously, scientists believed that the Milky Way is heavier than the Sun a trillion times. The new research showed that the galaxy is lighter in 300 billion solar masses. Scientists continue to specify the mass of a star cluster.

The Milky Way is a spiral galaxy which contains a supermassive black hole Sagittarius A * in the center. Its largest satellite is the dwarf galaxy of SagDEG. In 4 billion years, the Milky Way and Andromeda will collide and merge.