Where does this come from, and can I check it?

Astronomers estimate there are more stars in space than sand grains on Earth. The figure is taken from ESA, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a space fact?

Yes. It sits on the Space shelf, one of 1,090 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

What else can I read about it?

The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

The observable universe contains septillions of stars

Astronomers estimate there are more stars in space than sand grains on Earth

By multiplying the estimated 200 billion galaxies in the observable universe by the average number of stars per galaxy, astronomers estimate there are around 10 to the power of 24 stars. That total easily exceeds the estimated total number of individual sand grains found across every beach and desert on Earth.

Where this comes from

ESA

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

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Space & Astronomy trivia Big Number Calculator

More facts like this

Galaxies across the universe are arranged in a vast cosmic webGravity arranges billions of galaxies along dark matter filaments and voids Proxima Centauri is the closest star to our solar systemThe red dwarf star sits roughly four point two light-years away from Earth Brown dwarfs are failed stars that cannot sustain core nuclear fusionSubstellar objects bridge the evolutionary gap between giant gas planets and stars Dark matter accounts for 85 percent of all matter in the universeInvisible matter exerts gravitational forces that hold galaxies together The expansion of the universe is accelerating over cosmic timeDark energy pushes distant galaxies apart at ever-increasing speeds The Hubble Deep Field uncovered thousands of distant galaxiesFocusing on a tiny patch of dark sky revealed deep cosmic history

Tags: stars, universe, galaxies

The observable universe contains septillions of stars: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: Astronomers estimate there are more stars in space than sand grains on Earth. The figure is taken from ESA, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a space fact?: Yes. It sits on the Space shelf, one of 1,090 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.