Scientists suggest that the universe might be bigger than previously thought. In a new study, scientists estimate that the observable universe is made up of more than 2 trillion galaxies, around 20 times more galaxies than previously believed.
In this new study, astronomers from the University of Nottingham studied imagery obtained from the Hubble Space Telescope to build a new 3D map of the universe. This new data helped the scientists to gain a better understanding of galaxy density and the spaces between smaller regions of deep space.
When the team completed this map, they discovered how this was larger than they had estimated. The last estimate was that there are 100 billion galaxies in the observable universe.
According to the lead author of the study, Christopher Conselice of the University of Nottingham, by finding more galaxies in the past, this suggests a crucial stellar evolution that occurred by merging with other extensive systems. He added that there is also a vast part of the universe, probably hundreds of thousands of galaxies which are not yet seen since they are very faint and far away from us.
Scientists say that the number of galaxies that currently exist in the universe is a very fundamental part of astronomy, but over 90 percent of galaxies in the universe are yet to be studied.
The team hopes to find more galaxies and discover new properties with the help of newer technology.
This new study was published in the Astrophysical Journal.