How many stars are in the Milky Way?
The Milky Way contains an estimated 100 billion to 400 billion stars.
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Milky Way Facts
Milky way facts and facts about milky way, from the Random Facts shelf.
11 facts on this shelf
How big is the Milky Way?
The Milky Way is about 100,000 light-years across.
How long does it take the solar system to orbit the Milky Way?
Our solar system takes about 230 million years to orbit the center of the Milky Way.
Will the Milky Way crash into Andromeda?
The Milky Way is expected to merge with the Andromeda Galaxy in about 4.5 billion years.
Where does the name "Milky Way" come from?
The name "Milky Way" comes from a Greek myth about the goddess Hera's milk.
What does the center of the Milky Way smell like?
Scientists found ethyl formate, the chemical that helps give raspberries their flavor, in a dust cloud near the center of the Milky Way.
Can most Americans see the Milky Way?
About 80% of Americans can't see the Milky Way because of light pollution.
What did the Gaia mission map?
The European Space Agency's Gaia mission mapped about two billion stars in the Milky Way.
What shape is the Milky Way?
The Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy.
What is the Local Group?
The Milky Way is part of a group of galaxies called the Local Group.
What is at the center of the Milky Way?
A supermassive black hole called Sagittarius A*, about 4 million times the mass of the Sun, sits at the center of the Milky Way, and its first image was released in 2022.