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Milky Way Galaxy
astronomy
Also known as: The Galaxy
Top Questions
Why is it called the Milky Way Galaxy?
How big is the Milky Way Galaxy?
Is Earth in the centre of the Milky Way Galaxy?
Milky Way Galaxy, large spiral system consisting of several hundred billion stars, one of which is the Sun. It takes its name from the Milky Way, the irregular luminous band of stars and gas clouds that stretches across the sky as seen from Earth. Although Earth lies well within the Milky Way Galaxy (sometimes simply called the Galaxy), astronomers do not have as complete an understanding of its nature as they do of some external star systems. A thick layer of interstellar dust obscures much of the Galaxy from scrutiny by optical telescopes, and astronomers can determine its large-scale structure ...(100 of 13945 words)