A 2016 study led by a team at the University of Nottingham estimated that the observable universe contains at least two trillion galaxies, with the vast majority being too faint for current technology to observe.

Nottingham (UK), Leiden (Netherlands), Edinburgh (UK)

Who

Christopher Conselice, team at University of Nottingham, Leiden Observatory, University of Edinburgh, Marc Postman

What

When

Tue, 16 Jun 2026 14:30:19 GMT · 2h 17m ago

Where

Nottingham (UK), Leiden (Netherlands), Edinburgh (UK) ·

Why

The team used galaxy stellar mass functions and deep-sky surveys to estimate the total number of galaxies, including those too faint to be directly seen.

The Frontline Impact

How this affects you

This estimate, ten times higher than previous figures, suggests that most galaxies in the universe remain unobserved, challenging previous understandings of cosmic composition and impacting theories like Olbers' paradox.

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Verified Sources & Citations

Space Daily
https://spacedaily.com/s-at-least-two-trillion-galaxies-fill-the-observable-universe-ten-times-the-old-estimate-and-most-are-too-faint-for-any-telescope-today-to-see-a-2016-study-found/
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