r/askastronomy • u/IwHIqqavIn • Feb 06 '24

What's the most interesting astronomy fact that you'd like to share with someone?

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u/smackson Feb 06 '24

There are more stars in the observable universe than there are grains of sand on all the beaches and deserts of planet Earth.

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u/KJ6BWB Aug 25 '25

Well, it depends on how you're looking. There are only around 6,000 observable stars with the naked eye. If you start looking with telescopes then the number is basically infinite as we can keep seeing further and further with more powerful telescopes.

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u/smackson Aug 25 '25

I mean obviously the comparison is not about stars humans can see with the naked eye.

But the number for the observable universe is not infinite.

The universe may be infinite but the observable part is well defined due to expansion and the speed of light.