how many stars are in our solar system

There is only one star in our Solar System: the Sun.

What counts as a “star” here?

• A star is a massive, hot ball of gas that shines by nuclear fusion in its core, converting hydrogen into helium and releasing energy.

• By that definition, the Sun is the only object in our Solar System that qualifies as a star; planets, moons, asteroids, and comets do not produce their own energy through fusion.

Why only one star?

• The term “Solar System” specifically refers to the Sun (Latin: Sol) and everything gravitationally bound to it, like planets and smaller bodies, all orbiting this single star.

• Other star systems can have two or more stars (binary or multiple-star systems), but our system is built around just one central star, the Sun.

How does this compare to the galaxy?

• Our Sun is one of over 100 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy.

• Across the observable Universe, estimates run up to around a septillion stars (a 1 with 24 zeros), showing that our single-star Solar System is just a tiny piece of a vastly populated cosmos.

TL;DR: When asking “how many stars are in our Solar System?” the accepted scientific answer is: 1 — the Sun.