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Milky Way

   Also found in: Acronyms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.01 sec.
Milk·y Way  (mlk)
n.
The galaxy containing the solar system, visible as a broad band of faint light in the night sky.
[Middle English, translation of Latin via lactea : via, way + lactea, feminine of lacteus, milky.]
Milky Way
n
the
1. (Astronomy & Space / Celestial Objects) the diffuse band of light stretching across the night sky that consists of millions of faint stars, nebulae, etc., within our Galaxy
2. (Astronomy & Space / Celestial Objects) another name for the Galaxy
[translation of Latin via lactea]
Milky Way  (mlk)
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. See also spiral galaxy.
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.Milky WayMilky Way - the galaxy containing the solar system; consists of millions of stars that can be seen as a diffuse band of light stretching across the night sky
Milky Way Galaxy, Milky Way System
extragalactic nebula, galaxy - (astronomy) a collection of star systems; any of the billions of systems each having many stars and nebulae and dust; "`extragalactic nebula' is a former name for `galaxy'"
heliosphere - the region inside the heliopause containing the sun and solar system
Crux, Crux Australis, Southern Cross - a small conspicuous constellation in the southern hemisphere in the Milky Way near Centaurus
Translations
Milky Way
n → Milchstraße f
Milky Way n the Milky Way → la Via Lattea
Milky Way n the Milky Way → la Via Lattea


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? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
Among these 5,000 nebulae there is one which has received the name of the Milky Way, and which contains eighteen millions of stars, each of which has become the center of a solar world.
From The Earth To The Moon by Verne, Jules View in context
One thinks Heidelberg by day--with its surroundings-- is the last possibility of the beautiful; but when he sees Heidelberg by night, a fallen Milky Way, with that glittering railway constellation pinned to the border, he requires time to consider upon the verdict.
A Tramp Abroad by Twain, Mark View in context
But the Milky Way, it seemed to me, was still the same tattered streamer of star-dust as of yore.
The Time Machine by Wells, H.G. View in context
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