gal ‧ ax ‧ y /ˈɡæləksi/ BrE AmE noun ( plural galaxies )
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Late Latin ; Origin: galaxias , from Greek , from gala 'milk' ; because the Galaxy looks milky white from the Earth ]
1 . [countable] one of the large groups of stars that make up the universe
2 . the Galaxy the large group of stars which our Sun and its ↑ planet s belong to
3 . [singular] a large number of things that are similar
galaxy of
a galaxy of British artistic talent
• • •
THESAURUS
■ in the sky
▪ star a large ball of burning gas in space, which can be seen at night as a point of light in the sky:
The dark night sky was clear and full of stars.
▪ planet one of the large objects that goes around the sun, for example the Earth, Saturn, Mercury, or Mars:
The planet Uranus was discovered in 1781.
▪ sun the star that gives us light and heat, around which the planets move. There are also many millions of other suns in the universe:
The sun came out from behind a cloud.
|
a dying sun
▪ moon the round object that moves around the Earth every 28 days, or a similar object that goes around another planet:
The moon rose in the night sky.
|
Titan is one of the moons of Saturn.
▪ asteroid a mass of rock that moves around the sun. Most asteroids are found between Jupiter and Mars:
the asteroid belt
▪ pulsar a type of star that is far away in space and produces ↑ radiation and RADIO WAVES
▪ quasar an object like a star that is far away in space and shines extremely brightly
▪ supernova a very large exploding star
▪ constellation a group of stars that forms a particular pattern and has a name:
The constellation of Orion is one of the most easily recognizable patterns of stars in the night sky.
▪ galaxy one of the large groups of stars that make up the universe:
Astronomers have detected a galaxy 11 billion light years away.
▪ the universe all space, including all the stars and planets:
How many planets in the universe have life?