Tuhia he haere tonu mo tenei whitianga - Ko te Milky Way te tupuni e whakauru ana i to tatou punaha solar, me te ingoa e whakaahua ana i te ahua o te tupuni mai i te Ao: he roopu marama pouri e kitea ana i te rangi o te po i hangaia mai i nga whetu kaore e taea te wehewehe takitahi ma te kanohi tahanga. Ko te kupu "Milky Way" he whakamaoritanga o te Latina ', mai i te Kariki ('), te tikanga "porohita miraka". Mai i te Whenua, ka puta te Milky Way hei roopu na te mea ko tana hanganga ahua kōpae e tirohia ana mai i roto. Ko Galileo Galilei te tuatahi i whakatau i te roopu marama ki nga whetu takitahi me tana telescope i te tau 1610. Tae noa ki ngā tau tōmua o te 1920, i whakaaro te nuinga o ngā tohunga whetū kei roto i te Milky Way ngā whetū katoa o te Ao. Whai muri i te Kōrerorero Nui o te 1920
i waenganui i ngā kaitātai whetū a Harlow Shapley rāua ko Heber Curtis, nā ngā kitenga a Edwin Hubble i whakaatu ko te Milky Way tētahi o ngā whetū maha.