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

/ 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

Milky Way

1. The galaxy to which our sun belongs.

Notes

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

New research shows early galaxies were much bigger—some 10 times the mass of the Milky Way—than astronomers expected.

From The Daily Beast

Astronomers recently placed the Milky Way on the fringe of a huge supercluster.

From The Daily Beast

For example, based on the ages of stars, we know the Milky Way is about 13.2 billion years old.

From The Daily Beast

One magnetar is only about a light-year from the black hole at the center of the Milky Way.

From The Daily Beast

Most stars in the Milky Way have humdrum lives, tracing slow predictable orbits around the galactic center.

From The Daily Beast

"No," said the Twins, "but there are no cats in the Milky Way," and they pulled the cat's tail thoughtfully.

From Project Gutenberg

"Her face was like the milky way," &c.—Where is the subjoined quotation taken from, and what is the context?

From Project Gutenberg

The Milky Way was a kind of Paradise of souls; whilst the sun was the centre of the whole creation.

From Project Gutenberg

It is the Galaxy, the Milky Way, composed of millions on millions of suns!

From Project Gutenberg

My brain got running on figures till the dark seemed to be all sown with dollar-marks, like the stars in the Milky Way.

From Project Gutenberg