Videographer captures stunning time-lapse of the Milky Way galaxy passing over Texas

A videographer captured footage of the Milky Way galactic core passing over mountains near Big Bend National Park in Texas. The Milky Way actually refers to the galaxy where our solar system is located, so it may seem contradictory to observe something of which you are a part of. 

However, humans on Earth have noticed a broad swath of light appearing in the night sky for millennia. This band of light is actually the center of our galaxy viewed from one of its outer arms. This is what people usually mean when they say they’ve captured the Milky Way on film. 

You can watch the streak of golden brown light punctuated with thousands of glowing white stars move across the mountain range in the video. The celestial body appears heavenly as ever. 

“The Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy, about 100,000 light-years across. If you could look down on it from the top, you would see a central bulge surrounded by four large spiral arms that wrap around it,” according to Space.com

The Milky Way has two major arms, two minor arms and two smaller spurs. Our solar system is located on one of the spurs known as the Orion arm. Much of our view of the other side of the Milky Way is obstructed by the galaxy center known as the galactic bulge, which is full of gas, dust and stars. It’s also why we can’t see the total number of stars in the galaxy. 

So when you look up at the night sky, you’re really looking at the core or the outer edges of the galaxy from inside of it (depending on the time of year and your location). Pretty cool! 

If you enjoyed this story, check out this 10-year timelapse video of the sun released by NASA.

More from In The Know:

YouTuber Karina Garcia is the queen of slime

Organize your bathroom like a pro with these smart hacks

This clothing brand wants you to stop buying so much clothing

Learn a new skill at home with these online courses

Listen to the latest episode of our pop culture podcast, We Should Talk: