The estimated number of galaxies in the observable universe ranges widely, but current scientific consensus places it between about 100 billion and 2 trillion galaxies.
- Earlier estimates, based on direct observations like those from the Hubble Space Telescope, suggested there are roughly 100 to 200 billion galaxies in the observable universe
- More recent studies, incorporating deeper observations and mathematical modeling to account for faint and distant galaxies not directly visible, have revised this number upward to about 2 trillion galaxies
- This large increase is mainly due to the recognition that many small, faint galaxies exist beyond the detection limits of current telescopes. These tiny galaxies, some weighing as little as a million suns, contribute significantly to the total count
- It is important to note that these numbers refer only to the observable universe—the portion of the universe from which light has had time to reach us since the Big Bang. The entire universe may be much larger, possibly infinite, which would imply an infinite number of galaxies
- Additionally, over cosmic time, many smaller galaxies have merged to form larger ones, so the number of galaxies "right now" may be lower than the number seen across cosmic history
In summary, the best current estimate is that there are about 2 trillion galaxies in the observable universe, though the true total number in the entire universe is unknown and could be infinite. This figure is based on advanced observations and modeling that account for galaxies too faint to be directly seen with current technology
