Our understanding of the galaxy has advanced with every leap in the number of stars. From early observations to more and more advanced space and ground-based telescopes, each milestone has revealed ...

Astronomers have chased hypervelocity stars for more than a century. These rare objects move so fast that the Milky Way ...

Looking for an alternative to fireworks? Stargazers can catch a cosmic light show this Independence Day when the Milky Way appears in the night sky. The center of our home galaxy, which is composed of ...

The Milky Way galaxy, comprised of billions of stars, will be visible in the night sky until the end of May, particularly between the last quarter moon (May 20) and the new moon (May 30). Light ...

On Jan. 15, 2025, the Gaia spacecraft took its last image. Then the craft ran a final round of engineering tests, fired its thrusters to leave Earth behind, and slipped into an orbit around the Sun, ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. An award-winning reporter writing about stargazing and the night sky. A panoramic image of the Milky Way over the fromations of ...

The Milky Way is our home galaxy with a disc of stars that spans more than 100,000 light-years. While the Milky Way is generally always visible from Earth, certain times of year are better for ...

The Milky Way's core will be visible to stargazers in the southern hemisphere, including Tennessee, this month and throughout August. No special equipment is needed to view the galaxy, just a dark sky ...

New supercomputer simulations suggest the Milky Way could be surrounded by dozens more faint, undetected satellite galaxies—up to 100 more than we currently know. These elusive "orphan" galaxies have ...