The Milky Way from Earth

On a very dark night, you can see a glowing band of light stretching across the sky. That is the Milky Way, our home galaxy. It looks like a river of light because you are seeing millions of distant stars all blended together. It is one of the most beautiful sights in nature.

What You Are Really Seeing

When you look at the Milky Way band, you are looking into the flat disk of our galaxy from the inside. Our galaxy is shaped like a giant pinwheel. We live inside one of its spiral arms. The bright band is made of billions of stars that are too far away to see one by one. Dark patches in the band are clouds of dust blocking the light.

Best Ways to See It

You need a very dark sky to see the Milky Way. City lights make it invisible. The best time to see it in North America is during summer. Look toward the south on a moonless night. National parks and rural areas far from cities are the best places to enjoy this amazing view.

Fun Facts

• The name Milky Way comes from the ancient Greek word for milky, because it looks like spilled milk across the sky.
• About 80 percent of Americans cannot see the Milky Way from where they live because of light pollution.
• The Milky Way band looks brightest toward the center of our galaxy in the constellation Sagittarius.

Did You Know?

If you could see every star in the Milky Way band, you would be looking at over 100 billion stars all at once!