standard solar motion

Standard solar motion refers to the calculated movement of the Sun relative to its immediate stellar neighbors within the Milky Way Galaxy. This calculation helps astronomers understand not only the Sun's own motion but also the movement patterns of different star types, offering insights into the Galaxy's history.12

The Sun's motion can be determined by analyzing the radial velocities, proper motions, or space motions of stars. When using stars within approximately 80 light-years, the result is termed standard solar motion. For all star types combined, this motion is about 19.5 km/sec. The direction the Sun appears to be moving is called the apex of solar motion. Analyzing these motions also reveals velocity dispersions, which indicate the uniformity of the star groups used as reference frames.123