The Milky Way is the galaxy that contains our Solar System. It is a barred spiral galaxy, a massive collection of stars, dust, and gas bound together by gravity. From our perspective within one of its spiral arms, the Milky Way appears as a band of light in the night sky.
Human beings are pretty familiar with the concept of "ice ages." Not only is their ample physical evidence to suggest that glacial periods occurred during the Pleistocene epoch - which lasted from ca. 2.58 million to 11,700 years ago, there are even Indigenous oral traditions that speak of lake formation and dramatic climate shifts in the distant past. Far from being mere myths, these traditions are considered preserved accounts that are corroborated by scientific findings. However, the cycles of glacial and interglacial periods that characterize the Pleistocene were merely the latest in a long line of historical shifts in Earth's climate.
