{"id":55427,"date":"2024-03-08T08:01:29","date_gmt":"2024-03-08T08:01:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cf1930d9-4707-41d9-883e-85578cb8a22a"},"modified":"2024-03-08T08:33:41","modified_gmt":"2024-03-08T08:33:41","slug":"why-the-summer-milky-way-is-brighter-than-the-winter-milky-way","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/rss_feed\/why-the-summer-milky-way-is-brighter-than-the-winter-milky-way\/","title":{"rendered":"Why the summer Milky Way is brighter than the winter Milky Way"},"content":{"rendered":"

What causes the differences between the summer and winter Milky Way in the night sky? <\/p>

By Iain Todd\n <\/p>

Published: Friday, 08 March 2024 at 08:01 AM<\/p>

\n\n

The Milky Way is highest during summer and winter, arching from north to south and passing directly overhead, but there is a difference between the summer and winter Milky Way, and it’s to do with our Solar System’s location in the Galaxy.<\/p>

Our Galaxy is a vast flattened disc of matter containing more than 200 billion stars that measures around 100,000 lightyears<\/a> across.<\/p>

It’s shaped like a spiral and is what’s known as a spiral galaxy, its bright arms peppered with stars, interlaced with dark clouds of cosmic gas and dust and a pronounced central bulge.<\/p>

Find out how to see the Milky Way<\/a> and how to photograph the Milky Way<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>

Our Sun is about a third of the way in from the edge of the Milky Way Galaxy, near the Pleiades and the Orion Nebula<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Our Solar System is situated near the galactic plane<\/a>, nestling within one of the Milky Way’s outer spiral arms, around two-thirds of the way from the centre of the Galaxy to the edge.<\/p>

With a few exceptions, only the nearest stars within our spiral arm are visible to the unaided eye. Stars much further away blend into a glowing haze.<\/p>

Since most of the Galaxy\u2019s stars and nebulae lie along the galactic plane, this multitude of distant stars appears as a bright misty band called the Milky Way.<\/p>

You can see it under really dark skies, and it’s a favoured target for astrophotographers as it looks so impressive.<\/p>

Let’s take a look at the key differences between the summer and winter Milky Way, and what causes them.<\/p>

Summer Milky Way<\/strong><\/h2>
\"Summer
Summer Milky Way over Pordenack Point, by Russell Carr, Pordenack Point, Cornwall, 5 July 2022<\/figcaption><\/figure>

The summer Milky Way can be traced from Cassiopeia<\/a> in the north, through Cygnus<\/a> overhead and down to Sagittarius<\/a> low in the south \u2013 the galactic centre and the Milky Way\u2019s brightest section.<\/p>

Sagittarius is a region rich in stars and nebulae because during summer we\u2019re looking inwards, towards the Milky Way’s heart.<\/p>

The bright centre itself is hidden by dust clouds that appear as dark silhouettes against the glowing galactic bulge.<\/p>

The summer Milky Way is so bright that even those observing from light-polluted urban areas might glimpse it on a clear, moonless night.<\/p>

Indeed, it’s often remarked that the Milky Way appears like steam rising out of the Teapot asterism<\/a>, which is located in Sagittarius.<\/p>

Winter Milky Way<\/strong><\/h2>
\"A
A Quadrantid meteor appears in the night sky along with the Milky Way and the Aurora over Banff National Park, Canada, 3 January 2009. Credit: Stocktrek Images \/ Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>

The winter Milky Way, on the other hand, extends from Cepheus in the north, through Perseus and Auriga<\/a> overhead, down to Canis Major<\/a> in the south.<\/p>

When we view the winter Milky Way, we\u2019re looking out of the Galaxy (at regions that are further out from the galactic centre than the spiral arm we\u2019re in).<\/p>

Unlike the summer Milky Way, in winter this region is less densely populated by stars and nebulae and thus less spectacular to view.<\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n

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