- Stars: The Milky Way contains over 200 billion stars, ranging from tiny red dwarfs to massive blue supergiants. The Sun, our star, is a medium-sized yellow dwarf located in one of the galaxy's spiral arms.
- Planets: The Milky Way is home to numerous planets, including the eight planets of our solar system, as well as many exoplanets that orbit other stars. Planets vary greatly in size, composition, and distance from their stars.
- Interstellar Gas and Dust: The space between stars in the Milky Way is filled with interstellar gas and dust. Gas is mostly composed of hydrogen and helium, while dust consists of fine particles of heavier elements like carbon, silicon, and iron.
- Star Clusters and Nebulae: The Milky Way contains star clusters, which are groups of stars that are gravitationally bound, as well as nebulae, which are glowing clouds of gas and dust where stars are born and die.
- Galactic Core: At the center of the Milky Way lies the galactic core, a dense region containing a supermassive black hole called Sagittarius A*. The core is surrounded by a bright central bulge of stars and is a major source of radio and infrared radiation.
- Dark Matter: Evidence suggests the presence of a large amount of dark matter within the Milky Way. Dark matter is a mysterious form of matter that does not emit or interact with light, but its gravitational influence can be observed in the galaxy's rotation and dynamics.