... Recent wide field images and analyses now indicate that our home galaxy is actually still in the process of devouring its closest satellite neighbor. ... Although auroras might first appear to be moonlit clouds, they only add light to the sky and do not block background stars from view. Our Galaxy in Stars, Gas, and Dust . ... The red nebulae visible in the above contrast-enhanced picture are primarily emission nebulae, glowing clouds of hydrogen gas heated by nearby, bright, young stars. ...