A typical galaxy has about 100 billion stars , though the true number can range from tens of billions to a few hundred billion depending on the galaxy type. The observable universe is estimated to contain roughly 100 billion to 2 trillion galaxies , with the exact count still uncertain.

Quick Scoop

  • One galaxy: often around 100 billion stars in a Milky Way–like galaxy.
  • All galaxies in the observable universe: roughly 100 billion to 2 trillion.
  • That means the universe may contain an enormous total of stars, far beyond easy counting, because both the number of stars per galaxy and the number of galaxies are estimates.

Simple picture

If you think of a galaxy as a city of stars, then the observable universe is a continent full of those cities. Our Milky Way is just one example, and it is estimated to contain about 100 billion stars.

Why the range is wide

Astronomers cannot directly count every galaxy or every star, so they estimate from deep-sky observations and extrapolation. Newer work has pushed galaxy estimates upward, but there is still no single consensus number.

TL;DR

  • Stars in a galaxy: about 100 billion.
  • Galaxies in the observable universe: about 100 billion to 2 trillion.