Milky Way Galaxy
The Milky Way Galaxy, as part of the Planetary Science field within Astronomy and a subfield of Celestial Bodies in Science, is a barred spiral galaxy that houses our solar system. It is approximately 100,000 light-years in diameter and contains hundreds of billions of stars, along with various types of celestial bodies such as planets, dwarf planets, asteroids, comets, and black holes. The Milky Way Galaxy has a distinct appearance, characterized by its bright central bulge, spiral arms, and a prominent dust lane that runs along the galactic plane. It is also part of a local group of galaxies, including the Andromeda galaxy, which are bound together by gravity and will eventually collide in several billion years.