Space questions, answered

How many stars are in the Milky Way?

Somewhere between 100 and 400 billion — the exact number isn't known, because most of the galaxy's stars are faint and hidden behind dust.

Astronomers estimate the count by measuring the Milky Way's mass and the average mass of its stars, rather than counting one by one. The result is a range: at least 100 billion, and possibly several times that.

Our galaxy is just one of an estimated hundreds of billions to two trillion galaxies in the observable universe — which is why the total number of stars in existence is effectively beyond counting.

How many galaxies are there? →

Sources: NASA — the Milky Way