... Zodiacal Light and Milky Way . ... In it, the plane of our Milky Way Galaxy arcs above faint airglow along the horizon. ... Located just next door, Alpha Centauri is the closest star system to the Sun. ... The Sun is at the upper right, a bright star against the background of the Milky Way. ... An unusual spiral structure has been discovered around the Milky Way star R Sculptoris, a red giant star located about 1,500 light years away toward the constellation of the Sculptor (Sculptoris). ...