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How Old Is the Milky Way Galaxy, How Big Is the Milky Way, and How Many Stars Does the Milky Way Contain?

By Karen Hill

The Milky Way is a spiral Galaxy that is estimated to be between 10 and 20 billion years old.

It is about 100,000 light-years at its widest and 15,000 light-years at its thickest in the center.

It contains more than 100 billion stars, maybe even 200 billion, most of which are concentrated in the nucleus and spiral arms.

Most stars are grouped with stars of similar ages.

Astronomers estimate that there are between 100 and 200 billion stars spread throughout our galaxy.

All the stars that the naked eye can distinguish in the night sky from earth are part of the Milky Way Galaxy.

Aside from these stars, the Milky Way appears as a hazy band of white light arching around the entire celestial sphere.

Related

  • Which Way Is the Milky Way Galaxy Moving and How Long Does It Take For the Milky Way To Rotate?
  • What Does the Milky Way Look Like and Where Is Our Solar System Located In the Milky Way Galaxy?
  • What Are Elliptical Galaxies, How Do Elliptical Galaxies Form, and Why Do They Contain Mostly Old Stars?
  • How Are Stars Born, How Are New Stars Formed From Clouds of Dust and Gases, and How Do We Detect New Stars?
  • Who Discovered other Galaxies in the Universe and that the Sun is part of the Milky Way Galaxy?
  • How do astronomers know where one galaxy ends and another galaxy begins?

Filed Under: Space

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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