Milky Way

[mil-kee wey]

noun

Astronomy.

1. the spiral galaxy containing our solar system: with the naked eye it appears as a faint luminous band stretching across the heavens, composed of approximately a trillion stars, most of which are too distant to be seen individually.

Milky Way

noun

1. the diffuse band of light stretching across the night sky that consists of millions of faint stars, nebulae, etc, within our Galaxy

2. another name for the Galaxy

Milky Way

1. The spiral galaxy that contains our solar system. Made up of an estimated two hundred billion stars or more, it is seen from Earth as an irregular band of hazy light across the night sky. The solar system is located in one of the revolving spiral arms, about 50 light-years north of the galactic plane and some 27,700 light-years from the galaxy's center, which lies in the direction of the constellation Sagittarius. It takes approximately 250 million years for the solar system to orbit the galactic center, which is believed to contain a massive black hole. The Milky Way measures about 100,000 light-years in diameter and is the second largest galaxy, after the Andromeda Galaxy, in the cluster known as the Local Group.

2. See also spiral galaxy

Milky Way

1. The galaxy to which our sun belongs.

The Milky Way is also the swath of light in the night sky produced by the other stars in the galaxy.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Milky Way¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, translation of Latin via lactea; galaxy

Word History and Origins

Origin of Milky Way¹

C14: translation of Latin via lactea

Example Sentences

The planet lies in a relatively nearby part of the Milky Way Galaxy and appears to have a rocky structure similar to Earth.

Read more on Science Daily

Almost every galaxy, including our Milky Way, has a black hole at its centre.

Read more on Space Scoop

These studies show that these compact systems act as extremely powerful particle accelerators within the Milky Way and can plausibly generate the energies associated with the "knee."

Read more on Science Daily

Scientists have not previously been able to model a galaxy as large as the Milky Way while maintaining fine detail at the level of single stars.

Read more on Science Daily

Most planets discovered in the Milky Way orbit stars of this type.

Read more on Science Daily