400 Billion stars

[RobertScorpio]

So I'm watching CONTACT and again that number of 400 billion stars is just so hard to wrap my mind around; but its generally accepted. I say that because I remember seeing CONTACT with my grandpa when it came out (he's 97 years old now). When he was in elementary school he remembers being told by his science teacher that our galaxy had, at best, three million stars. Well thats a big leap from then to now, isn't it???

So, if there are 400 Billion stars in our galaxy, and the Federation's slice of that pie is the "so called" Alpha-Quadrant, then, in the Picard-Sisko-Janeway era of Trek, how many planets do you think the Federation has actually "been" too. I don't mean with probes, but actually walked on with landing parties.

And by that time, even with probes, is EVERY star mapped?

Rob

 

[T'Girl]

Google says between 200 billion and 600 billion stars. Nice of them to narrow it down. I figure if the Federation is a sphere 8,000 light-years across it contains 328 million stars, unlikely anyone has visited them all or even mapped their exact positions.

 

[RobertScorpio]

Google says between 200 billion and 600 billion stars. Nice of them to narrow it down. I figure if the Federation is a sphere 8,000 light-years across it contains 328 million stars, unlikely anyone has visited them all or even mapped their exact positions.

Wow..that is a lot of stars!!! I get the impression that the fedreation has been to just 'hundreds' of worlds, not even thousands..which would make sense I guess..

Rob

 

[neozeks]

Well, even in TOS, Kirk said 'we're on a thousand worlds and spreading'. And that's just humanity he was talking about, there are other species too. Still, yeah, many of the stars even inside Fed space are probably almost unexplored. But, then, many of them won't even have suitable planets for the landing parties to walk on, or any planets at all.

 

[Admiral Shran]

Google says between 200 billion and 600 billion stars. Nice of them to narrow it down. I figure if the Federation is a sphere 8,000 light-years across it contains 328 million stars, unlikely anyone has visited them all or even mapped their exact positions.

Wow..that is a lot of stars!!! I get the impression that the fedreation has been to just 'hundreds' of worlds, not even thousands..which would make sense I guess..

Rob

The Federation has about 150 Member Worlds. However, each Member could have countless colonies on other planets. And many of the systems in UFP space would have no planets suitable to walk on, or any planets whatsoever.

If the Federation is roughly an 8,000 light-year bubble, that's a heck of a lot of stars.

 

[Kai Winn]

picard stated in an early tng episode that the federation mapped 11% of our galaxy. this arcticle says the milky way is as big as andromeda, and might have more stars than previously thought. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/space/2009-01-05-milky-way_N.htm

 

[RobertScorpio]

picard stated in an early tng episode that the federation mapped 11% of our galaxy. this arcticle says the milky way is as big as andromeda, and might have more stars than previously thought. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/space/2009-01-05-milky-way_N.htm

More stars than previously thought? Sounds like the Feds will have to build more ships which means more jobs.

Rob

 

[CoveTom]

328 million in the Federation? My God, it's full of stars!

(Sorry, it just had to be said.)