What is the meaning of milky way?

The Milky Way is our galaxy. It is the home for our Solar System. The name is about how it looks in the night sky.

From a very dark place, you can see a cloudy strip of light. This band looks soft and white, like spilled milk. That is why it has this name. But it is not milk, of course. It is the light from billions of stars in our galaxy. They are just too far away to see each one. So their light blends together.

The name is very old. It is a translation from the Latin 'Via Lactea'. In French, we also say 'La Voie lactée'. It means the same thing. A beautiful name for our home in space.