Milky Way
The Milky Way is the galaxy [nb 1] that contains our Solar System . The descriptor "milky" is derived from the galaxy's appearance from Earth : a band of light seen in the night sky formed from stars that cannot be individually distinguished by the naked eye . The term Milky Way is a translation of the Latin via lactea , from the Greek γαλαξίας κύκλος ( galaxías kýklos , "milky circle"). [17] [18] [19] From Earth, the Milky Way appears as a band because its disk-shaped structure is viewed from within. Galileo Galilei first resolved the band of light into individual stars with his telescope in 1610. Until the early 1920s, most astronomers thought that the Milky Way contained all the stars in the Universe . [20] Following the 1920 Great Debate between the astronomers Harlow Shapley and Heber Curtis , [21] observations by Edwin Hubble showed that the Milky Way is just one of many galaxies. The Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy with a diameter between 150,000 and 200,000 light-years (ly). [22] [23] [24] [25] It is estimated to contain 100–400 billion stars . [26] [27] There are probably at least 100 billion planets in the Milky Way. [28] [29] The Solar System is located within the disk, 26,490 (± 100) light-years from the Galactic Center , on the inner edge of the Orion Arm , one of the spiral-shaped concentrations of gas and dust. The stars in the innermost 10,000 light-years form a bulge and one or more bars that radiate from the bulge. The galactic center is an intense radio source known as Sagittarius A* , likely a supermassive black hole of 4.100 (± 0.034) million solar masses .
Page Revisions
| Year | Metadata | Sections | Top Words | First Paragraph |
| 2018 |
518023 characters 23 sections 74 paragraphs 31 images 488 internal links 501 external links |
milky 0.550 stars 0.332 galaxies 0.298 galactic 0.262 galaxy 0.199 kpc 0.197 spiral 0.172 andromeda 0.129 disk 0.125 sagittarius 0.123 halo 0.110 arms 0.109 ly 0.108 magellanic 0.086 dwarf 0.083 |
The Milky Way is the galaxy [nb 1] that contains our Solar System . The descriptor "milky" is derived from the galaxy's appearance from Earth : a band of light seen in the night sky formed from stars that cannot be individually distinguished by the naked eye . The term Milky Way is a translation of the Latin via lactea , from the Greek γαλαξίας κύκλος ( galaxías kýklos , "milky circle"). [17] [18] [19] From Earth, the Milky Way appears as a band because its disk-shaped structure is viewed from within. Galileo Galilei first resolved the band of light into individual stars with his telescope in 1610. Until the early 1920s, most astronomers thought that the Milky Way contained all the stars in the Universe . [20] Following the 1920 Great Debate between the astronomers Harlow Shapley and Heber Curtis , [21] observations by Edwin Hubble showed that the Milky Way is just one of many galaxies. The Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy with a diameter between 150,000 and 200,000 light-years (ly). [22] [23] [24] [25] It is estimated to contain 100–400 billion stars . [26] [27] There are probably at least 100 billion planets in the Milky Way. [28] [29] The Solar System is located within the disk, 26,490 (± 100) light-years from the Galactic Center , on the inner edge of the Orion Arm , one of the spiral-shaped concentrations of gas and dust. The stars in the innermost 10,000 light-years form a bulge and one or more bars that radiate from the bulge. The galactic center is an intense radio source known as Sagittarius A* , likely a supermassive black hole of 4.100 (± 0.034) million solar masses . |
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| 2017 |
538880 characters 23 sections 72 paragraphs 31 images 493 internal links 503 external links |
milky 0.554 stars 0.330 galaxies 0.300 galactic 0.259 galaxy 0.199 kpc 0.185 spiral 0.177 andromeda 0.132 disk 0.128 sagittarius 0.126 halo 0.113 arms 0.112 ly 0.103 magellanic 0.088 dwarf 0.085 |
The Milky Way is the galaxy [21] [22] [23] [nb 1] that contains our Solar System . [24] The descriptive "milky" is derived from the appearance from Earth of the galaxy – a band of light seen in the night sky formed from stars that cannot be individually distinguished by the naked eye . The term Milky Way is a translation of the Latin via lactea , from the Greek γαλαξίας κύκλος ( galaxías kýklos , "milky circle"). [25] [26] [27] From Earth, the Milky Way appears as a band because its disk-shaped structure is viewed from within. Galileo Galilei first resolved the band of light into individual stars with his telescope in 1610. Until the early 1920s, most astronomers thought that the Milky Way contained all the stars in the Universe . [28] Following the 1920 Great Debate between the astronomers Harlow Shapley and Heber Curtis , [29] observations by Edwin Hubble showed that the Milky Way is just one of many galaxies. |
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| 2016 |
510243 characters 23 sections 71 paragraphs 35 images 488 internal links 406 external links |
milky 0.547 stars 0.326 galaxies 0.318 galactic 0.259 galaxy 0.199 spiral 0.177 kpc 0.176 andromeda 0.132 disk 0.132 sagittarius 0.126 halo 0.113 arms 0.112 ly 0.110 magellanic 0.088 dwarf 0.085 |
The Milky Way is the galaxy [18] [19] [20] [nb 1] that contains our Solar System . [21] The descriptive "milky" is derived from the appearance from Earth of the galaxy – a band of light seen in the night sky formed from stars that cannot be individually distinguished by the naked eye. The term "Milky Way" is a translation of the Latin via lactea , from the Greek γαλαξίας κύκλος ( galaxías kýklos , "milky circle"). [22] [23] [24] From Earth, the Milky Way appears as a band because its disk-shaped structure is viewed from within. Galileo Galilei first resolved the band of light into individual stars with his telescope in 1610. Until the early 1920s, most astronomers thought that the Milky Way contained all the stars in the Universe . Following the 1920 Great Debate between the astronomers Harlow Shapley and Heber Curtis , [25] observations by Edwin Hubble showed that the Milky Way is just one of many galaxies. Subsequent sensitive observations such as the Hubble telescope's Ultra Deep Field revealed a myriad of faint galaxies, which led to an estimate that the observable universe contained about 200 billion galaxies. [26] [27] A 2016 study estimated that the observable universe contained ten times that number or 2 trillion galaxies. [28] |
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| 2015 |
448335 characters 22 sections 69 paragraphs 32 images 449 internal links 381 external links |
milky 0.551 stars 0.329 galaxies 0.291 galactic 0.258 spiral 0.209 galaxy 0.188 kpc 0.182 disk 0.132 sagittarius 0.130 andromeda 0.129 arms 0.121 halo 0.117 ly 0.114 magellanic 0.091 dwarf 0.088 |
The Milky Way is the galaxy that contains our Solar System . [18] [19] [20] [nb 1] Its name "milky" is derived from its appearance as a dim glowing band arching across the night sky whose individual stars cannot be distinguished by the naked eye. The term "Milky Way" is a translation of the Latin via lactea , from the Greek γαλαξίας κύκλος ( galaxías kýklos , "milky circle"). [21] [22] [23] From Earth, the Milky Way appears as a band because its disk-shaped structure is viewed from within. Galileo Galilei first resolved the band of light into individual stars with his telescope in 1610. Until the early 1920s, most astronomers thought that the Milky Way contained all the stars in the Universe . Following the 1920 Great Debate between the astronomers Harlow Shapley and Heber Curtis , [24] observations by Edwin Hubble showed that the Milky Way is just one of many galaxies—now estimated to number as many as 200 billion galaxies in the observable universe . [25] [26] |
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| 2014 |
339057 characters 22 sections 63 paragraphs 27 images 394 internal links 181 external links |
milky 0.539 stars 0.321 galaxies 0.277 galactic 0.257 galaxy 0.242 spiral 0.222 kpc 0.179 andromeda 0.133 disk 0.129 arms 0.125 ly 0.118 halo 0.115 sagittarius 0.108 magellanic 0.094 dwarf 0.087 |
The Milky Way is the galaxy that contains our Solar System . [15] [16] [17] [nb 1] Its name “milky” is derived from its appearance as a dim glowing band arching across the night sky in which the naked eye cannot distinguish individual stars. The term “Milky Way” is a translation of the Latin via lactea , from the Greek γαλαξίας κύκλος ( galaxías kýklos , "milky circle"). [18] [19] [20] From Earth, the Milky Way appears as a band because its disk-shaped structure is viewed from within. Galileo Galilei first resolved the band of light into individual stars with his telescope in 1610. Up until the early 1920s, most astronomers thought that all of the stars in the universe were contained inside of the Milky Way. Following the 1920 Great Debate between the astronomers Harlow Shapley and Heber Curtis , [21] observations by Edwin Hubble definitively showed that the Milky Way is just one of many billions of galaxies. [22] |
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| 2013 |
308538 characters 21 sections 62 paragraphs 26 images 388 internal links 127 external links |
galaxy 0.471 milky 0.398 stars 0.339 galaxies 0.279 spiral 0.247 galactic 0.196 arms 0.144 andromeda 0.126 disk 0.121 halo 0.115 kpc 0.114 ly 0.111 sagittarius 0.108 magellanic 0.095 dwarf 0.092 |
The Milky Way is the galaxy that contains our Solar System . [12] [13] [14] [nb 1] Its name "milky" is derived from its appearance as a dim glowing band arching across the night sky in which the naked eye cannot distinguish individual stars. The term "Milky Way" is a translation of the Latin via lactea , from the Greek γαλαξίας κύκλος ( galaxías kýklos , "milky circle"). [15] [16] [17] From the Earth, the Milky Way appears like a band because its disk-shaped structure is viewed from within the Galaxy. Galileo Galilei first resolved the band of light into individual stars with his telescope in 1610. In the past, astronomers thought that all of the stars in the universe were contained inside of the Milky Way. Following the 1920 Great Debate between the astronomers Harlow Shapley and Heber Curtis , [18] observations by Edwin Hubble definitively showed that the Milky Way is just one of many galaxies. [19] |
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| 2012 |
266736 characters 20 sections 58 paragraphs 22 images 372 internal links 100 external links |
galaxy 0.479 milky 0.381 stars 0.338 galaxies 0.285 spiral 0.222 galactic 0.222 disk 0.139 arms 0.135 kpc 0.132 magellanic 0.112 halo 0.110 andromeda 0.108 ly 0.102 sagittarius 0.097 dwarf 0.090 |
The Milky Way is the galaxy that contains our Solar System . [11] [12] [13] [nb 1] This name derives from its appearance as a dim "milky" glowing band arching across the night sky, in which the naked eye cannot distinguish individual stars. The term "Milky Way" is a translation of the Classical Latin via lactea , from the Hellenistic Greek γαλαξίας κύκλος (pr. galaxías kýklos , "milky circle"). [14] [15] [16] The Milky Way appears like a band because it is a disk-shaped structure being viewed from inside. The fact that this faint band of light is made up of stars was proven in 1610 when Galileo Galilei used his telescope to resolve it into individual stars. In the 1920s, observations by astronomer Edwin Hubble showed that the Milky Way is just one of many galaxies. |
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| 2011 |
258513 characters 19 sections 55 paragraphs 25 images 382 internal links 181 external links |
galaxy 0.552 milky 0.401 stars 0.248 galactic 0.223 galaxies 0.217 spiral 0.206 kpc 0.157 ly 0.121 andromeda 0.117 arms 0.117 dwarf 0.106 disk 0.099 magellanic 0.096 nebulae 0.089 halo 0.073 |
The Milky Way is the galaxy that contains the Solar System . [11] [a] This name derives from its appearance as a dim un-resolved "milky" glowing band arching across the night sky. The term "Milky Way" is a translation of the Latin for "milky road", Via Lactea , in turn derived from the Greek kyklos galaktikos or "milky circle", "milk" also being the root for the Greek word for galaxy, γαλαξίας ( galaxias ). [12] [13] |
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| 2010 |
235968 characters 19 sections 56 paragraphs 27 images 373 internal links 143 external links |
galaxy 0.533 milky 0.428 galactic 0.241 stars 0.238 galaxies 0.230 spiral 0.211 kpc 0.160 ly 0.124 andromeda 0.120 arms 0.119 disk 0.112 dwarf 0.103 magellanic 0.098 nebulae 0.090 halo 0.075 |
Milky Way Galaxy , commonly referred to as just the Milky Way , or sometimes simply as the Galaxy , is the galaxy in which the Solar System is located. The Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy that is part of the Local Group of galaxies. It is one of hundreds of billions of galaxies in the observable universe . Its name is a translation of the Latin Via Lactea , in turn translated from the Greek Γαλαξίας ( Galaxias ), referring to the pale band of light formed by stars in the galactic plane as seen from Earth (see etymology of galaxy ). |
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| 2009 |
199036 characters 18 sections 49 paragraphs 22 images 353 internal links 110 external links |
galaxy 0.568 milky 0.400 stars 0.265 galaxies 0.247 galactic 0.217 spiral 0.210 arms 0.141 andromeda 0.121 dwarf 0.115 magellanic 0.110 disk 0.094 nebulae 0.078 sagittarius 0.078 light 0.068 plane 0.067 |
The Milky Way , or simply the Galaxy , is the galaxy in which the Solar System is located. It is a barred spiral galaxy that is part of the Local Group of galaxies. It is one of billions of galaxies in the observable universe . Its name is a translation of the Latin Via Lactea , in turn translated from the Greek Γαλαξίας ( Galaxias ), referring to the pale band of light formed by the galactic plane as seen from Earth (see etymology of galaxy ). Some sources hold that, strictly speaking, the term Milky Way should refer exclusively to the band of light that the galaxy forms in the night sky , while the galaxy should receive the full name Milky Way Galaxy , or alternatively the Galaxy . [8] [9] [10] However, it is unclear how widespread this convention is, and the term Milky Way is routinely used in either context. |
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| 2008 |
179282 characters 17 sections 45 paragraphs 17 images 339 internal links 96 external links |
galaxy 0.579 milky 0.373 galaxies 0.268 spiral 0.228 stars 0.219 galactic 0.219 arms 0.153 magellanic 0.119 dwarf 0.118 andromeda 0.105 disk 0.102 sagittarius 0.099 nebulae 0.085 center 0.071 plane 0.067 |
The Milky Way , sometimes called simply The Galaxy , is the galaxy in which our Solar System is located. It is a barred spiral galaxy that is part of the Local Group of galaxies. While significant to humans, it is only one of billions of galaxies in the observable universe . |
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| 2007 |
112122 characters 15 sections 39 paragraphs 13 images 199 internal links 57 external links |
galaxy 0.550 milky 0.360 galaxies 0.321 spiral 0.274 galactic 0.225 stars 0.188 dwarf 0.136 arms 0.125 magellanic 0.120 disk 0.117 andromeda 0.106 nebulae 0.098 sagittarius 0.082 light 0.081 globular 0.069 |
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 that is part of the Local Group of galaxies. Although the Milky Way is one of billions of galaxies in the observable universe , [1] the Galaxy has special significance to humanity as it is the home galaxy of the planet Earth . The Milky Way galaxy is visible from Earth as a band of light in the night sky, and it is the appearance of this band of light which has inspired the name for our galaxy. |
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| 2006 |
52432 characters 9 sections 39 paragraphs 10 images 148 internal links 31 external links |
galaxy 0.501 milky 0.415 galaxies 0.326 galactic 0.254 spiral 0.183 dwarf 0.166 stars 0.149 magellanic 0.133 santiago 0.131 andromeda 0.118 disk 0.111 sagittarius 0.106 arms 0.094 light 0.078 barred 0.076 |
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 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. |
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| 2005 |
31486 characters 9 sections 32 paragraphs 4 images 112 internal links 17 external links |
galaxy 0.531 milky 0.270 dwarf 0.262 spiral 0.222 galactic 0.222 stars 0.211 galaxies 0.188 arm 0.147 arms 0.133 magellanic 0.125 sagittarius 0.119 barred 0.108 center 0.105 kpc 0.094 globular 0.094 |
The Milky Way (a translation of the Latin Via Lactea , in turn derived from the Greek Γαλαξίας (Galaksias), 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 , which is located near the Orion Arm . Democritus (460 BC - 370 BC) was the first known person to claim that the Milky Way consists of distant stars. |
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| 2004 |
16999 characters 5 sections 11 paragraphs 2 images 78 internal links 5 external links |
galaxy 0.401 milk 0.320 milky 0.259 spiral 0.220 dwarf 0.211 galactic 0.174 disk 0.170 cronus 0.167 sagittarius 0.152 infant 0.131 suckling 0.126 zeus 0.117 stars 0.112 halo 0.108 galaxies 0.107 |
The Milky Way (a translation of the Latin Via Lactea , in turn derived from the Greek Galaxia ( gala, galactos means "milk")) is a hazy band of white light across the celestial sphere , formed by stars within the disc of its namesake galaxy . It is also simply known as the Galaxy as our Solar System is a part of it. The Milky Way appears brightest in the direction of Sagittarius , where the galactic center lies. 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 . This reflects the fact that the Earth 's equatorial plane is highly inclined to the galactic plane , as is the Sun 's equator and the ecliptic (the plane in which the Earth and the other significant planets orbit the Sun). The galactic pole lies at right ascension 12 h 51,42 m, declination 27° 7,8' ( epoch 2000.0 ; this is a conventional value adopted by the IAU in 1959 ). The fact that the Milky Way divides our night sky into two roughly equal hemispheres reflects the fact that the solar system lies close to the galactic plane. |
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| 2003 |
7474 characters 2 sections 9 paragraphs 2 images 37 internal links 3 external links |
galaxy 0.572 spiral 0.314 milky 0.284 galactic 0.248 disk 0.242 halo 0.154 arms 0.138 stars 0.128 arm 0.102 galaxies 0.101 reflects 0.100 clusters 0.094 center 0.091 gala 0.090 mo 0.090 |
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| 2002 |
3556 characters 1 sections 5 paragraphs 0 images 15 internal links 2 external links |
galaxy 0.563 spiral 0.530 arms 0.204 galactic 0.183 milky 0.168 arm 0.151 stars 0.141 gala 0.133 lactea 0.133 milk 0.112 logarithmic 0.112 center 0.108 sagittarius 0.107 light 0.105 hazy 0.103 |
The Milky Way (a translation of the Latin Via Lactea , in turn derived from the Greek Galaxia ( gala, galactos means "milk") is a hazy band of light across the night sky formed by billions of stars in the disc of our galaxy . The Milky Way appears brightest in the direction of Sagittarius , where the galactic centre lies. |
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| 2001 |
1982 characters 0 sections 2 paragraphs 0 images 7 internal links 1 external links |
galaxy 0.402 spiral 0.379 galactic 0.349 lactea 0.253 milky 0.240 arm 0.215 sagittarius 0.203 light 0.201 hazy 0.196 stars 0.180 perseus 0.179 translation 0.152 trillion 0.134 brightest 0.116 disc 0.112 |
The Milky Way (a translation of the Latin Via Lactea ) is a hazy band of light across the night sky formed by billions of stars in the disc our galaxy . The Milky Way appears brightest in the direction of Sagittarius , where the galactic centre lies. |