Is a light year bigger than a star?

Light is the fastest-moving stuff in our universe. It travels at 186,000 miles per second (300,000 km/sec). And thus a light-year is 5.88 trillion miles (9.46 trillion kilometers). But stars and nebulae – not to mention distant galaxies – are vastly farther than one light-year away.

What is the average diameter of a star?

The results of many stellar size measurements over the years have shown that most nearby stars are roughly the size of the Sun, with typical diameters of a million kilometers or so.

How many light-years away is the average star?

There are about 6,000 or so stars that are visible with the naked eye, and the vast majority of them are within about 1,000 light-years of the Sun. Stars dim quickly with distance; from even 60 light-years away, the Sun would fade to invisibility.

Is a star big or small?

The size of our sun There are bigger stars, and there are smaller stars. We have found stars that are 100 times bigger in diameter than our sun. Truly, those stars are enormous.

How can the light of stars billions of light years away?

How can the light of stars billions of light years away from the earth have reached us if the earth is only thousands of years old? A light-year is the maximum distance that light can travel in one year in the vacuum of space. Consequently, it takes billions of years for light to travel billions of light-years through space.

How many stars are in the universe within 1000 light years?

The space within 1000 light years is (1000/50)³ = 8000 times as large. Assuming a homogenous distribution you can expect 7 to 8 million stars in this range. This is only a rough estimation.

How do Astronomers estimate the size of stars?

Luckily, there are several techniques that astronomers can use to estimate the sizes of stars. One technique, which gives very precise diameters but can be used for only a few stars, is to observe the dimming of light that occurs when the Moon passes in front of a star.

How many stars are there in the Milky Way galaxy?

The space within 1000 light years is (1000/50)³ = 8000 times as large. Assuming a homogenous distribution you can expect 7 to 8 million stars in this range. This is only a rough estimation. The galaxy is a flat disc with spiral arms.