Scientists predict that there are at least 100-200 billion galaxies in the universe. BILLION. The Milky Way Galaxy is only 1 of those.
And if we assume that there are about 400 billion stars in each of these galaxies, similar to our own Milky Way, the numbers become explosive.
100 billion galaxies * 400 billion stars = 4 * 10^22 stars
This is also known as 40 thousand billion billion stars!
That's pretty crazy, considering that there are only about 4.5 billion web pages here on Earth. The Internet has some catching up to do.
Carl Sagan famously said, "The total number of stars in the Universe is larger than all the grains of sand on all the beaches of the planet Earth."
Here are some visuals that prove it.
1) Orion Nebula
At a distance of only 1,500 light-years away, the Orion Nebula is one of the brightest in the sky and is visible to the naked eye in the night sky just south of Orion's Belt in the constellation of Orion.
2) Thors Helmet
Thor's Helmet is located about 12 thousand light-years away and is about 30 light-years in size. The large star in the center of the nebula is thought to be a large pre-supernova star, spewing energy across the nebula. The curved shape of the top of the helmet is likely formed as a result of a massive curved bow-shock structure due to the expanding nature of the nebula.
3) Heart Nebula
The photo below was taken in infrared light from the WISE telescope. This nebula has a nearby companion, named the "Soul Nebula" just to the left of the Heart Nebula. Together, they are about 300 light-years in width!
4) Butterfly Nebula (NGC 6302)
Located in the constellation Scorpius, the structure of this nebula is one of the most fragile and complex that has ever been studied. The butterfly shape has lead scientists to name it's structure a "bipolar structure."
5) Crab NebulaThis supernova remnant contains a strong pulsar wind nebula that is not visible to the naked eye but it can be viewed by using binoculars on a clear night. The pulsar situated at the center of the nebula is the celestial object that remains after the supernova, spinning at a rate of around
30 times per second.
The Eagle Nebula contains some of the most iconic views of our Universe that we've studied so far. The first photo reveals many of these iconic views such as The Fairy (upper left), and The Pillars Of Creation (Lower Center) overlaid on the overall nebula visual.
6a) The Fairy (Located Within Eagle Nebula)
This celestial object spews radiation across the Eagle nebula, while also forming a new cluster of stars.
6b) Pillars Of Creation (Located Within Eagle Nebula)
The seven stunning pillars contained in the photo below has been studied by the Hubble Space Telescope on a few occasions. Within each of the towers of dust and gas, new stars are constantly being formed.
7) Crescent Nebula
This diversely-colored nebula is about 25 light-years across, with a massive star at the center. The star is generating a strong stellar wind throughout the nebula due to it ejecting large chunks of material from it's surface. Scientists believe that this star will eventually supernova once enough material is ejected.
8) Trifid Nebula
Located in Sagittarious, this nebula looks eerily similar to a brain - check out dust clouds in the center that resemble nerve endings.
9) Sombrero GalaxyViewing this galaxy from the side is a completely different experience from most of the other views of surrounding galaxies. This galaxy is massive - over 50,000 light-years across!
Share
Tweet
