Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
As a comparison, the neighboring Andromeda Galaxy contains an estimated one trillion (10 12) stars. [151] The Milky Way may contain ten billion white dwarfs, a billion neutron stars, and a hundred million stellar black holes. [f] [154] [155] Filling the space between the stars is a disk of gas and dust called the interstellar medium.
Cygnus is a northern constellation on the plane of the Milky Way, deriving its name from the Latinized Greek word for swan. [1] Cygnus is one of the most recognizable constellations of the northern summer and autumn, and it features a prominent asterism known as the Northern Cross (in contrast to the Southern Cross).
The "Teapot" asterism is in Sagittarius. The Milky Way is the "steam" coming from the spout. The galactic center Sagittarius A* is located off the top of the spout. As seen from the northern hemisphere, the constellation's brighter stars form an easily recognizable asterism known as "the Teapot".
Navigation in the Milky Way is also identified with cardinal directions, indicating distance from the Sol System: for example, Ultima Segmentum, the largest segmentum in the Imperium of Man, is located to the galactic east of the Sol System. The 0° "north" in Imperial maps does not correspond to the 0° in the real-world.
At least three of Dôn's children also have astronomical associations: Caer Gwydion ("The fortress of Gwydion") is the traditional Welsh name for the Milky Way, and Caer Arianrhod ("The Fortress of Arianrhod") being the constellation of Corona Borealis. [8] In the 17th century, various Biblical figures were depicted in the stars of Cassiopeia.
The Milky Way as seen from Earth, with prominent dark features labeled in white, as well as prominent star clouds labeled in black. The Great Rift, a series of dark patches in the Milky Way, is most visible in the southern sky. [66] Some cultures have discerned shapes in these patches.
Aquila is a constellation on the celestial equator. Its name is Latin for 'eagle' and it represents the bird that carried Zeus/Jupiter's thunderbolts in Greek-Roman mythology. Its brightest star, Altair, is one vertex of the Summer Triangle asterism. The constellation is best seen in the northern summer, as it is located along the Milky Way.
All stars but one can be associated with an IAU (International Astronomical Union) constellation. IAU constellations are areas of the sky. Although there are only 88 IAU constellations, the sky is actually divided into 89 irregularly shaped boxes as the constellation Serpens is split into two separate sections, Serpens Caput (the snake's head) to the west and Serpens Cauda (the snake's tail ...