'Universe contains at least two trillion galaxies'

Scientists have calculated that the observable universe contains at least two trillion galaxies - 20 times more than previously thought. Credit: PA

If you find the immense size of the universe humbling, prepare to feel evenmore insignificant.Scientists have calculated that the observable universe contains at least twotrillion galaxies - 20 times more than previously thought.A British-led team of international astronomers came to the conclusion afterconverting images from the Hubble Space Telescope and observatories around the world into 3D maps.

These were used to calculate the density of galaxies as well as the volume of separate small regions of space.When the pieces of the cosmic jigsaw were put together, it produced asurprise.Until now, it had been thought that the observable universe - the part of thecosmos we can see because light from distant objects has had time to reach us -contained around 100 billion galaxies.

But the new study suggests that significantly more galaxies existed duringearlier epochs of the universe's history. When it was only a few billion yearsold, 10 times more galaxies filled a given volume of space than is the casetoday. The total number of galaxies was expanded to an estimated two trillion.Lead scientist Professor Christopher Conselice, from the University ofNottingham, said:

The research, co-funded by the Royal Astronomical Society, appears in theAstrophysical Journal.