How Big Is the Universe Really?
The universe is enormous—far bigger than anything our minds are built to imagine. When we look up at the night sky, we see just a tiny fraction of it. But how big is the universe really?
To answer that, we need to explore what we can see, what we can’t see, and what lies beyond the reach of our telescopes.
The Observable Universe: 93 Billion Light-Years Across
The part of the universe we can detect with telescopes is called the observable universe.
It stretches 46.5 billion light-years in every direction from Earth.
That means the observable universe is 93 billion light-years wide.
Why so big, if the universe is only 13.8 billion years old?
Because space itself expands—so light has been traveling through a universe that has been stretching the entire time.
What Lies Beyond the Observable Universe?
The observable universe isn’t the whole universe.
It’s simply the part where light has had time to reach us.
Beyond that limit, there could be:
- More galaxies—trillions of them
- Regions of space we will never see
- Different cosmic structures shaped by physics we don’t yet understand
Current scientific models suggest the universe might be at least 250 times larger than the observable part.
Some theories even say it might be infinite.
Why We Can’t See Everything
Light takes time to travel.
So the farther away something is, the longer its light needs to reach us.
But since the universe is expanding:
- Some galaxies are moving away faster than light
- Their light will never reach us
- Those regions remain permanently hidden
This creates a cosmic horizon, similar to looking across a foggy ocean—no matter how hard we try, we can’t see beyond a certain distance.
How Many Galaxies Are There?
The latest estimates suggest the observable universe contains:
- More than 2 trillion galaxies
- More stars than grains of sand on Earth
- A total size so large it defies human intuition
And that’s just the part we can see.
Is the Universe Finite or Infinite?
We don’t know yet.
If finite:
It might wrap around itself like the surface of a sphere, meaning traveling in a straight line could eventually bring you back to where you started.
If infinite:
It never ends—stretching on forever, filled with galaxies, dark matter, and spacetime.
Right now, the evidence leans slightly toward an infinite universe, but scientists are still far from certain.
The Universe Is Getting Bigger Every Second
The universe is not static—it’s expanding at an accelerating rate.
This means:
- Galaxies are moving farther apart
- The edges of the observable universe grow over time
- New regions become visible as light reaches us
But cosmic expansion also means some galaxies drift beyond our reach forever.
So… How Big Is the Universe?
As far as we know: at least 93 billion light-years across.
But in reality, it might be hundreds of times larger—or it may have no end at all.
What we can say with confidence is this:
The universe is far bigger than anything humans can fully comprehend…and it’s still growing.
You can also take a look at our latest video 'Why Everything in the Universe Falls into Chaos'
