Enjoy a photograph of the Milky Way, taken by Naoyuki Kurita in the last few minutes of daylight on August 10, 1999 in Koumi, Japan.

View images of the sky near the Galactic plane in spectral lines and continuum bands spanning a frequency range of over 14 orders of magnitude.

Take a trip through our own galaxy, looking at the structure, and savour some very illuminating pictures.

Check out photos of our galaxy containing bright blue stars and red giants and learn about the length of its year.

Guide to the Milky Way galaxy for kids features pictures, facts, and an educational song.