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Milky Way
noun
1
: a broad luminous irregular band of light that stretches completely around the celestial sphere and is caused by the light of myriads of faint stars
2
Examples of Milky Way in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Here on Earth, our D to H ratio is some ten times higher than what’s measured in our Milky Way Galaxy’s interstellar medium.
—Bruce Dorminey, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
For space enthusiasts:James Webb Space Telescope reveals Milky Way stars being born
Where is the Atlas comet 2024?
—Tiffany Acosta, The Arizona Republic, 31 Oct. 2024
And, under that definition, Classic Milky Way bars (which contain flour) are tax-exempt, while Milky Way Midnight bars (which do not contain flour) would be taxed.
—Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024
Early galaxies tend to join together and develop smoother shapes incredibly slowly, with our Milky Way taking billions of years to develop tidy structures, the researchers said.
—Jack Guy, CNN, 16 Oct. 2024
The radio telescope array in Australia being used is capable of looking for signs of life in star systems both in our Milky Way galaxy and in 2,800 galaxies beyond.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 21 Sep. 2024
Sky Village at Canyon of the Ancients Guest Ranch
Cortez, Colorado
Hidden among the mesas and grassy valleys of the arid Colorado Plateau lies one of my favorite Milky Way–watching lookouts on the continent: Canyon of the Ancients Guest Ranch.
—Stephanie Vermillion, Outside Online, 1 Aug. 2024
Galactic Center Our own Milky Way is a dazzling spectacle to behold from a dark-sky site on Earth.
—Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 July 2024
Imagine squeezing a Milky Way’s worth of stars into a volume with a radius 100 times smaller than our familiar home spiral galaxy.
—Fabio Pacucci, Scientific American, 27 June 2024
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Word History
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of Milky Way was
in the 14th century
Articles Related to Milky Way
Dictionary Entries Near Milky Way
Cite this Entry
“Milky Way.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Milky%20Way. Accessed 24 Dec. 2024.
Kids Definition
Milky Way
noun1
: a broad band of light that stretches across the sky and is caused by the light of a very great number of faint stars
2
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