There's a wonderful article here looking at the question "If you made a beach using grains the proportionate size of the stars in the Milky Way, what would that beach look like?"
http://what-if.xkcd.com/83/
It's a very refreshing way of looking at what the Milky Way is made up of, as well as just how big it is when you consider how the grains at the end would all be stretched out from each other.
http://what-if.xkcd.com/83/
It's a very refreshing way of looking at what the Milky Way is made up of, as well as just how big it is when you consider how the grains at the end would all be stretched out from each other.