Galaxy information
Milky Way
A barred spiral galaxy containing our Solar System and the confirmed exoplanets reviewed on this site.
Observational image — source details pendingBarred spiral galaxy
Image gallery
Milky Way visual references
The page presents two selected observational references for this galaxy. Source and license details must match the original download pages.
Observational reference
Milky Way observational overview
The primary Milky Way visual selected for this galaxy page.
The original source page, author credit and reuse license must be recorded before commercial promotion.Source: Source details pending ↗
Observational reference
Milky Way detailed reference
A second Milky Way reference selected for the information gallery.
The original source page, author credit and reuse license must be recorded before commercial promotion.Source: Source details pending ↗Life potential
How likely is other life somewhere in Milky Way?
The Milky Way already contains one confirmed life-bearing planet and enormous numbers of stars and planetary systems.
Highest local confidence
Why this score?
- Earth proves that life can arise in this galaxy.
- The galaxy contains an enormous number of stars and planets.
- Many potentially habitable candidates in the catalog belong to the Milky Way.
This is an editorial estimate for additional life somewhere in the galaxy, not a census result.
Structure
The Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy with a central bulge, a disk of spiral arms and a large halo of stars, gas and dark matter.
Our position
The Solar System sits in the Orion Spur, far from the central supermassive black hole and inside the galaxy's rotating disk.
Planet catalog
All confirmed exoplanets currently listed by Rate the Earth are in the Milky Way because no planets in other galaxies have yet been confirmed well enough for a detailed public catalog.