Milky Way | Astronomy.com

An abstract, brightly glowing cloud shape sits centered against a solid black background. The core of the formation glows bright white and yellow, surrounded by a greenish layer that diffuses into a larger, deep red outer haze. Tiny, multicolored pinpricks of light—mostly yellow, green, and white—are scattered across the central core and the dark space surrounding it.

Robotic Spaceflight, Today in the History of Astronomy

Sept. 5, 2001: The Milky Way has a black hole

A hand-drawn manuscript illustration in red and black ink is set on aged, off-white parchment paper. Red line segments radiate from a circle labeled on the far right toward a larger circular loop on the left, connecting eight smaller circles arranged along its perimeter. Each small circle is partially filled with solid black and red sections to show shaded geometric patterns, accompanied by handwritten Calligraphic text in black ink above and below the diagram.

Today in the History of Astronomy

Sept. 4, 973 C.E.: The birth of al-Biruni

Today in the History of Astronomy

April 26, 1920: The Great Debate

Milky Way, Solar System, Stars

The Sun’s galactic migration may have made life on Earth possible

Largest ALMA image ever shows cold gas in our galactic center

Milky Way, Stars

New JWST imagery dives into the center of the Milky Way

Features, Milky Way, Science, Stars

How Gaia revealed the Milky Way

Today in the History of Astronomy

Nov. 2, 1885: Birth of Harlow Shapley

The interstellar object 3I/ATLAS appears as a clear but faint dot in the middle of this monochrome image, surrounded by slightly streaked stars.

Milky Way, Solar System

Astronomers race to learn more about third interstellar visitor

Galaxies, Milky Way

How weird is the Milky Way?

Plane of the Milky Way

Astronomers find a rare ‘dark galaxy’ within our Local Group

Andromeda has a new faintest satellite galaxy