Milky way galaxy long exposure

The Milky Way is the spiral galaxy that hosts the Solar System, with billions of stars visible in long exposure photographs.

About this subject

The Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy with an estimated diameter between 100,000 and 180,000 light-years. It contains between 100 and 400 billion stars, along with vast amounts of interstellar dust and gas. The Solar System is located in one of the smaller spiral arms, the Orion Arm, about 27,000 light-years from the galactic center. On nights without light pollution, the Milky Way's hazy band is visible to the naked eye as a diffuse glow crossing the sky, resulting from the combined light of distant stars. Long exposure photographs, like the one that inspired this description, reveal details such as dark dust lanes, star clusters, and star-forming regions like the Lagoon Nebula and Trifid Nebula. Recent studies from the Gaia telescope have mapped the positions and motions of billions of stars, confirming that the Milky Way is on a collision course with the Andromeda Galaxy, an event predicted to occur in about 4.5 billion years.

Frequently Asked Questions

How far is the Sun from the center of the Milky Way?

The Sun is located about 27,000 light-years from the galactic center, in the Orion Arm.

Can the Milky Way be seen with the naked eye?

Yes, in locations with dark skies and no light pollution, the Milky Way appears as a milky band across the night sky.

How many stars are in the Milky Way?

Estimates range from 100 to 400 billion stars, but the exact number remains uncertain due to interstellar dust obscuration.