Milky Way

The Milky Way (a translation of the Latin Via Lactea, in turn derived from the Greek Galaxia Kyklos), sometimes referred to simply as "the Galaxy", is a barred spiral galaxy which forms part of the Local Group. Although the Milky Way is but one of millions of galaxies in the universe, the Galaxy has special significance to humanity as it is the home of the solar system, which is located near the Orion Arm. Democritus (460 BC - 370 BC) was the first known person to claim that Milky Way consists of distant stars.

Mythology

There are many creation myths around the world regarding the Milky Way. In particular, there are two similar ancient Greek stories that explain the etymology of the name Galaxias (????????) and its association with milk (????). Some myths associate the constellation with a herd of cattle whose milk gives the sky its blue glow. In Eastern Asia, people believed that the hazy band of stars was the "Silvery River" of Heaven.

Related Topics:
Creation myth - Silvery River

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Akashaganga is the Indian name for the milky way galaxy, which means Ganges River of the Sky.

Related Topics:
Akashaganga - Indian - Milky way - Galaxy - Ganges River - Sky

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