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Astronomy & Space vocabulary · Galaxies & Deep Sky

Milky Way

Meaning in astronomy & space, with examples

/ˌmɪlki ˈweɪ/nounCore term

In astronomy & space, Milky Way means: The barred spiral galaxy that contains our solar system and a few hundred billion stars. It also names the pale band of light it forms across a dark night sky.

In Turkish: Samanyolu

How it is used

Always used with 'the'. Photographers and stargazers travel to dark sites to see or shoot the Milky Way, especially its bright core in summer. Astronomers also say 'our galaxy' or 'the Galaxy'.

Example sentences

  1. The Sun takes about 230 million years to go once around the centre of the Milky Way.

  2. Away from the city lights, the Milky Way stretched across the whole sky.

Common collocations

  • the Milky Way galaxy
  • the core of the Milky Way
  • photograph the Milky Way
  • see the Milky Way
  • galaxyAn enormous system of stars, gas, dust and dark matter held together by gravity. A large galaxy can contain hundreds of billions of stars.
  • spiral galaxyA flat, rotating galaxy with a bright central bulge and arms that curve outwards like a pinwheel. The arms are rich in young stars, gas and dust.
  • Andromeda GalaxyThe nearest large spiral galaxy to the Milky Way, about 2.5 million light-years away. Under dark skies it can be seen with the naked eye as a faint smudge.
  • supermassive black holeA black hole with the mass of millions or billions of Suns. Almost every large galaxy, including the Milky Way, has one at its centre.
  • light pollutionToo much artificial light at night from streetlights, buildings and signs, which brightens the sky and hides faint stars and galaxies.

More terms: Galaxies & Deep Sky

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