Researchers have reconstructed what alien astronomers observing our Milky Way galaxy from afar would find if they analyzed our home galaxy's chemical composition. The study, which is led by researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, is relevant for our own understanding of the cosmos: It allows for a new kind of comparison between our home galaxy and the many distant galaxies that we observe from the outside. The results provide part of the answer to the old question whether our home galaxy is special: at least when it comes to chemical composition, the Milky Way is unusual, but not unique.
