Overview
The Milky Way (銀河系, Gingakei) is the galaxy to which the solar system, including the Earth, belongs. Also called the Milky Way Galaxy, the Milky Way is the galaxy itself as seen from the inside.
It is composed of a staggering 200-400 billion stars with diameters of 80,000-100,000 light-years, yet its stellar mass is only a fraction of the total mass of the Milky Way (about 1.26 trillion times the mass of the Sun) (most of the rest is dark matter).
Related Articles
Universe Solar System Galaxy Microcosm
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銀河系とは (ギンガケイとは) [単語記事] - ニコニコ大百科 (NicoNico Encyclopedia)