| GALAXY | From the Greek meaning 'milk',a gravitationally bound system of billions of stars, grouped into one of four types by Edwin Hubble (6) |
| SYSTEM | Set of bodily organs with a common function; or, a gravitationally bound group of planets in orbit a star (6) |
| ORBIT | Elliptical path of a gravitationally bound celestial object on its regular course around a planet or star (5) |
| MILKYWAY | Luminous band of billions of stars (5,3) |
| ATMOSPHERE | Blanket of gravitationally-bound life-sustaining gases comprising a series of layers surrounding Earth (10) |
| CLUSTER | Group of gravitationally bound stars or galaxies that appear close together to an observer (7) |
| BROODXIIICICADA | One of billions of invaders this past summer |
| STARS | Gravitationally-bound gaseous spheres classified under the Morgan-Keenan system (5) |
| STARSYSTEM | Set of celestial objects gravitationally bound to one another |
| BERNIEMADOFF | Con man now in prison for defrauding investors of billions of dollars: 2 wds. |
| CIRROCUMULUS | A high cloud of ice crystals grouped into small separate globular masses (12) |
| FLOAT | Vehicle for delivering milk; a plasterer's trowel; item attached to a fishing line; or, a fizzy drink with a scoop of ice cream (5) |
| LAITANCE | From French for "milk", a white chalky layer or bloom that forms on the surface of setting concrete (8) |
| QUARK | Fresh unripened cheese of a smooth texture made from pasteurized milk, a starter, and rennet (5) |
| PEZ | Producer of billions of "bricks" annually |
| LEGO | Maker of billions of bricks each year |
| ASIA | Home of billions of people |
| EONS | Periods of billions of years |
| LETTUCE | With varieties including Little Gem, oak-leaf and mignonette, a salad plant in the daisy family whose Latin name meaning "milk" alludes to its white sap (7) |
| SEERSUCKER | From the Persian meaning "milk and sugar", an Indian cotton textile with contrasting smooth and puckered stripes, used for summer blazers, dresses and shirts (10) |
