Can You See the Milky Way from Earth?

Stargazing is a fascinating activity that is as old as time itself. Nothing compares to the beauty and scale of the starry sky, and its secrets will beckon humanity for centuries to come. This article will tell you about one of the most interesting and spectacular objects in the starry sky — the Milky Way galaxy — what the Milky Way looks like, why it’s called that, how you can see the Milky Way from Earth and what are the best places to observe it.

What is the Milky Way?

The Milky Way is one of over one hundred billion galaxies in the Universe. Its diameter is about 100,000 light years, and its age is about 13.2 billion years.

Where is the Milky Way? Scientists claim that it is located in the local group of galaxies, the Virgo cluster, the Virgo supercluster, the Laniakea supercluster, the Pisces-Cetus supercluster complex (galactic filament). The nearest neighbours are the Andromeda, Triangulum, and Large and Small Magellanic Clouds galaxies.

Now think about the scale. A galaxy with a diameter of 100 billion light years is just one of hundreds of billions of small dots on the limitless map of the Universe. And this small dot is the home to our Solar System and planet Earth. Our home. But we learned about this only at the beginning of the 20th century, thanks to the work of astronomer Edwin Hubble. Before this,  people saw it as a light, a foggy stripe bending the sky, about which legends were made.

How did the Milky Way get its name?

The first mention of a mysterious white stripe in the sky dates back to Greek writings in 500-800 BC. The ancient Greeks dubbed it “galaxias kyklos”, which translates as “milk circle”. According to legend, Zeus placed the infant Hercules at Hera’s breast to drink divine milk, but Hera woke up and pushed him away. Milk from the breast splashed into the sky, forming an unusual trail. The ancient Romans called the galaxy “via lactea”, which literally translates as “through the milk”, the peoples of the East dubbed it the Silver Heavenly River; Finns and Baltic peoples — the Bird’s Path; and the Africans called it the Spine of Night.

Can you see the Milky Way with your eyes?

So, can you see the Milky Way with the naked eye? Yes, we can see our galaxy with the naked eye, just like our ancestors saw it. Otherwise, how would they create legends about it? But how to see the Milky Way? Very simple. It’s everywhere. Since the Solar System and the Earth are located inside it, the entire night sky region that we see is the Milky Way. Every star we see with the naked eye is inside our galaxy because we see it from within.

However, when we discuss what does the Milky Way look like from Earth, we usually mean that streak of light that crosses the night sky. Why? It’s all about our observation perspective. Our galaxy is a spiral type, that is, it has a disk-shaped structure with a central bar and spiral arms. The Earth lies in one of these arms at a distance of about 26,000 light years from the Galactic Center, so we look in the direction of its plane (to the side), and we see light from many stars located in the same line, which looks like a white, curved band of fog. This phenomenon is like looking at a glowing city skyline while on its outskirts.

Thus, the white hazy streak is a projection of a huge number of stars located in the plane of our galactic disc, and we look at it sideways due to our position inside the galaxy. The rest of the night sky is also our galaxy’s interior, but the stars are more sparsely distributed, so the night sky appears darker and less uniform.

What part of the Milky Way do we see?

The brightest and densest part of our galaxy visible is the Galactic Centre. Inside it is a supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* with a mass approximately four million times the mass of our Sun. Around it are star clusters, hot gas clouds, massive stars, neutron stars, and other astronomical objects. Can we see the Milky Way galaxy centre in detail? No, because of the large amount of interstellar dust that absorbs and scatters light. However, thanks to modern technology such as radio, infrared, X-ray and gamma-ray telescopes, scientists can observe the galactic centre and study its structure and composition.

From Earth, we can also observe several parts of the spiral arms with the naked eye. The most notable of them are:

• Perseus Arm: one of the two main arms of the galaxy, containing many bright stars and star-forming regions.
• Orion-Cygnus Arm: also known as the Local Arm, in which our Solar System is located. It is less visible but contains a significant number of stars and nebulae.
• Sagittarius Arm: Located closer to the galactic centre, it can be seen stretching across the sky.

Our view of the rest of the galaxy is limited by our position within the Orion-Cygnus Arm, and by the interstellar medium obscuring distant regions.

When Is the Milky Way Visible?

Like all the stars in the sky, the band of our galactic disc can be seen in all its glory at night in clear weather, when light pollution and cloud cover are minimal or absent. When can you see the Milky Way? The good news is that the object is clearly visible in the night sky throughout most of the year, except in winter months when the galactic core sets behind the sun and is less visible.

Best Time to See the Milky Way

This time is called the Milky Way season and usually lasts from February to October. What time does the Milky Way rise?  The brightest part, the galactic centre, is best visible on clear nights coinciding with the new moon, from 00:00 to 5:00.

In the Northern Hemisphere, it is best seen during the summer months, namely from June to September, when our vantage point is directed towards it. In spring, visibility begins a few hours before sunrise, and in June — before midnight. In the fall, the hazy star strip is best viewed in the evening, before sunset.

Where Can We See the Milky Way from the Earth?

There are two ways to choose where to see the Milky Way best. The first is the light pollution map. It’s very easy to use. Black and blue colours on the map indicate places with the best visibility; yellow and red ones — with the worst.

Another way is to go to national parks since the skies above them are the darkest and clearest of light pollution. We have collected some of the best places where you can see the Milky Way in different countries.

Where Can You See the Milky Way from the UK?

There are over twenty national parks in the UK, which are recognised as the best places to see the Milky Way. They are usually called dark side sites and can be found on this website. We will highlight only the most famous locations many people visit:

• Cairngorms in Scotland
• North York moors and Northumberland in northeast England
• Exmoor in the county of Devon in southwest England
• Snowdonia in North Wales
• Bodmin Moor in Cornwall
• Galloway Forest, Scotland.

These destinations are ideal for those who want to combine stargazing with tourism and other activities. The best time to visit is the summer months and September, especially during the new moon. When planning your trip, take into account weather conditions and the lunar phase for optimal viewing.

Where Can You See the Milky Way in the US?

In the United States, even more places offer spectacular views of our galactic strip, thanks to the country’s varied landscapes and many dark sky parks. Here are some of the best locations:

• Death Valley National Park, California: Recognized as the largest national park in the lower 48 states and the largest dark sky preserve in the country, Death Valley offers unique stargazing conditions.
• Arches National Park, Utah: Located on a high desert plateau, this park offers ideal conditions for viewing our galactic strip thanks to its giant natural arches and rock formations.
• Central Nevada, Eastern Utah, Montana: These remote areas are away from light pollution and offer clear views of the night sky.
• Breckenridge, Colorado: The high altitude and clear skies make it a great place for stargazing.
• Hawaii: With some of the darkest skies in the world, the Hawaiian Islands offer stunning views of our galaxy.

What is the best time to look at the Milky Way from there? From March to October.

Where Can You See the Milky Way in Canada?

These locations, with their clear skies and minimal artificial light interference, offer some of the best views of the Milky Way in Canada.

• Banff National Park, Alberta: One of the world’s largest dark sky reserves, offering stunning views of the stars and, often, the Northern Lights.
• Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan: Known as Canada’s darkest dark sky preserve, it’s an optimal spot for stargazing.
• Bruce Peninsula National Park, Ontario: It hosts an annual dark sky weekend and weekly overnight hikes in the summer and fall.
• Mont-Mégantic International Dark-Sky Reserve, Quebec: The first international dark sky reserve, home to the Mont-Mégantic Observatory.

The best time to visit these places where you can see the Milky Way is during the new moon, from late winter to early autumn.

What Other Galaxy Can We See from Earth?

Yes, you can see several more galaxies from Earth with the naked eye! These are our closest neighbours — the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, which are easily visible from the southern hemisphere. But the most unusual sight is the Andromeda Galaxy, also called M31, bright enough to be visible with the naked eye on dark, moonless nights.

The Andromeda Galaxy is located in the constellation Andromeda, which can be found using the constellations Pegasus and Cassiopeia as landmarks. The Andromeda Galaxy is a faint, fuzzy smudge in the sky that is best seen when looking slightly to the side using averted vision. Under good viewing conditions, if your eyes adjust to the darkness, you will be able to see its bright core and the halo surrounding it.

The best time to observe is mid-September, when the Andromeda Galaxy lies just below mid-sky in the east-northeast direction and rises higher as night falls.

Travelling Through the Milky Way

Now you know all the answers — can you see the Milky Way from Earth, at what time, and from where it is best seen. So, it’s high time to find yourself some good company, a warm blanket, a thermos of hot tea, and experience new things as you travel to the farthest corners of our large space home. We wish you a good time and promise many more interesting news and stories on our website! Stay with Orbital Today!

References And Additional Information:

• The Milky Way Galaxy https://science.nasa.gov/resource/the-milky-way-galaxy/
• The Milky Way galaxy https://cfa.harvard.edu/research/science-field/milky-way-galaxy
• When is the Milky Way Season? https://darksitefinder.com/when-is-milky-way-season/
• NASA shows largest image ever of Andromeda Galaxy https://eu.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/01/20/nasa-largest-picture-andromeda-galaxy/22052513/
• WHERE CAN YOU SEE THE MILKY WAY? – 10 BEST PLACES IN THE WORLD  https://capturetheatlas.com/where-can-you-see-the-milky-way/
• The Appearance of the Milky Way in the Night Sky https://www.e-education.psu.edu/astro801/content/l8_p2.html