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The Milky Way, when observed from Earth 's surface, is the hazy band of White Light that is seen in the Night Sky , arching across the entire Celestial Sphere . It is composed of Star s and other material lying within the Galactic Plane of our galaxy, '''The Milky Way Galaxy'''. The word galaxy (from the Ancient Greek γαλαξίας) means "milky".


THE MILKY WAY

location ( Death Valley ).]]
The Milky Way appears brightest in the direction of the Constellation of Sagittarius , towards the Galactic Center . 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 , indicating the high inclination of Earth's Equatorial Plane and the plane of the Ecliptic relative to the galactic plane. The fact that the Milky Way divides the night sky into two roughly equal Hemispheres indicates that the Solar System lies close to the galactic plane. Although the Milky Way has an Absolute Magnitude of −20.9, it has a relatively low Apparent Magnitude ,which makes it difficult to see from any urban or suburban location suffering from Light Pollution .


Name and myths

's "''The Origin of the Milky Way''"]]
See Also: List of names for the Milky Way
Milky Way (mythology)


There are many Creation Myth s around the world which explain the origin of the Milky Way and give it its name. The English phrase is a translation from Greek Γαλαξίας ''Galaxias'' which is derived from the word for milk (γάλα, ''gala''). This is also the origin of the word Galaxy . In Greek myth the Milky Way was caused by milk spilt by Hera when suckled by Heracles .

The term ''Milky Way'' first appeared in the English literature in a poem by Chaucer .

  Name Milky Way
  Epoch J2000
  Type Sbc10
  Dist Ly 25 Kly <br>(76 Kpc ){{cite journal
  Title SINFONI in the Galactic Center: Young Stars and Infrared Flares in the Central Light-Month
  Author Eisenhauer, F et al
  Journal The Astrophysical Journal
  Volume 628
  Issue 1
  Pages 246-259
  Year 2005
  Url http://adsabsharvardedu/abs/2005ApJ628246E


  Appmag V &minus50{{cite journal
  Author Abdul Ahad
  Title How bright is the sky beyond our solar system
  Journal Journal of the British Astronomical Association
  Year 2004
  Volume 115
  Issue 5
  Pages 297
  Url http://wwwbritastroorg/journal/pdf/115-5letterspdf


  Size V 360°
  Constellation Name ''( Sagittarius )''