diff --git a/interface/src/starfield/Generator.cpp b/interface/src/starfield/Generator.cpp
index 1e161a19cf..63a11f8f11 100644
--- a/interface/src/starfield/Generator.cpp
+++ b/interface/src/starfield/Generator.cpp
@@ -15,26 +15,51 @@ const float Generator::STAR_COLORIZATION = 0.1;
 void Generator::computeStarPositions(InputVertices& destination, unsigned limit, unsigned seed) {
     InputVertices* vertices = & destination;
     //_limit = limit;
-            
+    
     timeval startTime;
     gettimeofday(&startTime, NULL);
-            
+    
     srand(seed);
-            
+    
     vertices->clear();
     vertices->reserve(limit);
     
+    const unsigned MILKY_WAY_WIDTH = 16.0; // width in degrees of one half of the Milky Way
+    const float MILKY_WAY_INCLINATION = 30.0f; // angle of Milky Way from horizontal in degrees
+    const float MILKY_WAY_RATIO = 0.6;
     const unsigned NUM_DEGREES = 360;
     
-    
-    for(int star = 0; star < limit; ++star) {
+    for(int star = 0; star < floor(limit * (1 - MILKY_WAY_RATIO)); ++star) {
         float azimuth, altitude;
-        azimuth = ((float)rand() / (float) RAND_MAX) * NUM_DEGREES;
-        altitude = (((float)rand() / (float) RAND_MAX) * NUM_DEGREES / 2) - NUM_DEGREES / 4;
-
+        azimuth = (((float)rand() / (float) RAND_MAX) * NUM_DEGREES) - (NUM_DEGREES / 2);
+        altitude = (acos((2.0f * ((float)rand() / (float)RAND_MAX)) - 1.0f) / PI_OVER_180) + 90;
+        
         vertices->push_back(InputVertex(azimuth, altitude, computeStarColor(STAR_COLORIZATION)));
     }
-            
+    
+    for(int star = 0; star < ceil(limit * MILKY_WAY_RATIO); ++star) {
+        float azimuth = ((float)rand() / (float) RAND_MAX) * NUM_DEGREES;
+        float altitude = asin((float)rand() / (float) RAND_MAX * 2 - 1) * MILKY_WAY_WIDTH;
+        
+        // we need to rotate the Milky Way band to the correct orientation in the sky
+        // convert from spherical coordinates to cartesian, rotate the point and then convert back.
+        // An improvement would be to convert all stars to cartesian at this point and not have to convert back.
+        
+        float tempX = sin(azimuth * PI_OVER_180) * cos(altitude * PI_OVER_180);
+        float tempY = sin(altitude * PI_OVER_180);
+        float tempZ = -cos(azimuth * PI_OVER_180) * cos(altitude * PI_OVER_180);
+        
+        float xangle = MILKY_WAY_INCLINATION * PI_OVER_180;
+        float newX = (tempX * cos(xangle)) - (tempY * sin(xangle));
+        float newY = (tempX * sin(xangle)) + (tempY * cos(xangle));
+        float newZ = tempZ;
+        
+        azimuth = (atan2(newX,-newZ) + Radians::pi()) / PI_OVER_180;
+        altitude = atan2(-newY, hypotf(newX, newZ)) / PI_OVER_180;
+        
+        vertices->push_back(InputVertex(azimuth, altitude, computeStarColor(STAR_COLORIZATION)));
+    }
+    
     qDebug("Took %llu msec to generate stars.\n", (usecTimestampNow() - usecTimestamp(&startTime)) / 1000);
 }
 
diff --git a/interface/src/starfield/data/GpuVertex.cpp b/interface/src/starfield/data/GpuVertex.cpp
index fdec1b85d2..58db1d499a 100755
--- a/interface/src/starfield/data/GpuVertex.cpp
+++ b/interface/src/starfield/data/GpuVertex.cpp
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@
 // Copyright (c) 2013 High Fidelity, Inc. All rights reserved.
 //
 #include "starfield/data/GpuVertex.h"
-#include "starfield/data/InputVertex.h"
 
 using namespace starfield;