Milky Way

American  

[mil-kee wey] / ˈmɪl ki ˈweɪ /

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.

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Milky Way British  

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

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Milky Way Scientific  

/ mĭl′kē /

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

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Milky Way Cultural  

1. The galaxy to which our sun belongs.

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Discover More

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

Etymology

Origin of Milky Way

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

Example Sentences

The planet has a mass about 22 percent that of Jupiter and lies roughly 3,000 parsecs from the center of the Milky Way.

From Science Daily

These findings are changing how scientists search for and study black holes within the Milky Way.

From Science Daily

This region is positioned near the celestial equator and close to the flat disk of the Milky Way, which makes it visible from many locations on Earth during certain seasons.

From Science Daily

These objects are much smaller than Sgr A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, but they offer unique advantages for study.

From Science Daily

While this past collision influenced the Milky Way, the simulations show it is not required to produce the chemical split.

From Science Daily