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70,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.


Bugsy

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Is the number of stars that can currently be seen from earth. 70 sextillion and thats based on 2003 figures.

Astronomers say there are more stars than grains of sand in all of Earth's deserts and beaches.

Makes you feel very insignificant, doesn't it.

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There are certainly more in France- that's for sure!!! Can hardly even find the North Star there are so many others around it!!!

Last week the Milky Way ( what's it called in French again???) was so thick .....

-We cold hardly make out the Plough ( cassoulette????)

Anyone seen the comet in the western sky??- we had thunderstorms last week and missed it- is it still there???

Mars was so bright- wonderful!![:)]

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Consider that we can only see individual stars in our own galaxy (the Milky Way - a spiral galaxy).  Then consider that current estimates are that there are at least 125 billion galaxies in the universe (though this number increases as we get to see deeper).

However, I think the estimate of seeing 70,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 from Earth is a bit high.  Maybe seeing evidence for that many start.  Our own galaxy is thought to contain 100,000,000,000 stars.  Even the next closest galaxy is too far to resolve individual stars with the naked eye.  For example, here (Northern Hemisphere) you might get to see M31 (Andromeda galaxy) with the naked eye.  I doubt even the Hubble telescope would resolve an individual star outside the local group.

However, seeing so many galaxies is one thing but a lot are a long way away.  Some of the light we are seeing from the more distant galaxies has taken 13 billion years to reach us (and thus we are seeing them as of 13 billion years ago).  A lot will have changed between now and then and many of the stars that were emitting light then will have died by now (though maybe others might have formed).

But if we wait a bit, Andromeda is getting closer (approaching us at a speed of about 400 000 Km per hour) - on a collision course.

Then you get into questions like "Should Girls Aloud be included in the count ?"

Ian
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