Gourt > Science > Astronomy > Galaxies > Milky Way
The Milky Way (a translation of the Latin Via Lactea, in turn derived from the Greek Γαλαξίας (Galaxias), sometimes referred to simply as "the Galaxy"), is a barred spiral galaxy which forms part of the Local Group. Although the Milky Way is but one of billions of galaxies in the universe, the Galaxy has special significance to humanity as it is the home of the Solar system. Democritus (450 BC - 370 BC) was the first known person to claim that the Milky Way consists of distant stars. The term "milky" originates from the hazy band of white light appearing across the celestial sphere visible from Earth, which comprises stars and other material lying within the galactic plane. The galaxy appears brightest in the direction of Sagittarius, towards the galactic center.
Relative to the celestial equator, the Milky Way passes as far north as the constellation of Cassiopeia and as far south as the constellation of Crux, indicating the high inclination of Earth's equatorial plane and the plane of the ecliptic relative to the galactic plane. The fact that the Milky Way divides the night sky into two roughly equal hemispheres indicates that the solar system lies close to the galactic plane.
The main disk of the Milky Way Galaxy is about 80,000 to 100,000 light years in diameter, about 250-300 thousand light years in circumference, and outside the Galactic core, about 1,000 light years in thickness. It is composed of 200 to 400 billion stars *. As a guide to the relative physical scale of the Milky Way, if the galaxy were reduced to 130 km (80 mi) in diameter, the solar system would be a mere 2 mm (0.08 in) in width. The Galactic Halo extends out to 250,000 to 400,000 light years in diameter. As detailed in the Structure section below, new discoveries indicate that the disk extends much farther than previously thought.
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Cosmology :: Astronomy
Stars :: Astronomy
Star Clusters :: Astronomy
GeoEye-1 Will Be A High-Res Eye In The Sky
Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:29:00 -0400
The GeoEye-1 satellite will be capable of making out details on Earth just 16 inches across. It will be the highest resolution satellite run by a private company; it's images will be marketed to a range of governments and private customers.
Europe Considers Joining Space-Faring Nations
Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:35:00 -0400
Europe's space agency reached two milestones earlier this year. A European-built lab was installed at the International Space Station, and Europe launched a robotic cargo vehicle that successfully docked with the station. The European Space Agency is thinking about converting the vehicle so it could take astronauts into orbit.
Tensions With Russia May Hurt NASA Program
Fri, 15 Aug 2008 16:18:00 -0400
The conflict with Russia over Georgia might affect NASA's ability to get astronauts to the international space station after the space shuttle gets retired in 2010. Congress must pass a special waiver by Sept. 30 so NASA can buy Soyuz capsule flights.
What Makes Our Solar System Special?
Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:02:00 -0400
Researchers say that if the conditions had been slightly different for our solar system, planets could have careened into the sun or been expelled into deep space. Also: A volunteer astronomer spots a strange gaseous object some are calling a "cosmic ghost."
Phoenix Finds A Salt Compound On Mars
Fri, 08 Aug 2008 14:07:00 -0400
NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander has detected a salt found on Earth on the surface of Mars. The salt, called perchlorate, is used in fireworks and rocket fuel. The news follows the recent confirmation of the presence of water on the Red Planet.
Space Company Hopes To Cut Cost Of Launches
Thu, 07 Aug 2008 16:44:00 -0400
A private company called SpaceX has failed three times to reach orbit with one of its rockets. But the company says it's learning from its failures and still hopes to radically decrease the cost of putting objects in space.
Research Plus: Milky Way - Encyclopedia article providing an introduction to the galaxy's characteristics.
Meta Description: [ Milky Way, the large, disk-shaped aggregation of stars, or galaxy, that includes the Sun and its solar system. In addition to the Sun, the Milky Way... ]
APOD: Milky Way - NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day index to Milky Way images.
Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik - Galactic Center Research - The research team, observations, results, publications, image gallery, and related links.
Milky Way Could Hold Remnants of Last Galactic 'Meal' - Some celestial detective work strongly suggests that the Milky Way consumed a smaller galaxy billions of years ago.
Meta Description: [ Some celestial detective work strongly suggests that the
Milky Way consumed a smaller galaxy billions of years ago. And
relics of the massive meal could still exist in our galaxy,
astronomers said Monday. ]
Multiwavelength Milky Way - Technical overview of various frequency scans of the galaxy, with images and data files, from NASA's Astrophysics Data Facility.
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Scientific American: Our Growing, Breathing Galaxy - Detailed historical information and new discoveries about our galaxy.
Meta Description: [ Science and Technology at Scientific American.com: Our Growing, Breathing Galaxy -- [ ASTRONOMY ] -- Science and Technology from Scientific American: daily science news and technology news, science trivia, science experts, science newsletters, science shop, science books and more ]
StarChild: The Milky Way - A kids' guide to the galaxy, complete with an educational song.
The Milky Way - A short definition of the Milky Way's components and composition.
The Milky Way Galaxy - An informational hub page for material on our galaxy, with links and references.
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The Milky Way Galaxy - Illustrated and technical overview of the galaxy's structure and composition.
The Milky Way Galaxy: Our Home - A brief illustrated definition of the Milky Way.
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What is the Milky Way Called in Different Languages? - Translated names of the galaxy in various languages.
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