A question of numbers...

[Steve922]

1. How many stars in our galaxy have been named?

2. How many galaxies have been named?

I don't mean proper names like Mirphak, Aldeberan or The Whirpool galaxy, but catalogue type names like NGCxxx or Eta Cepheus 51 Cet and M110.

Perhaps thsi should ask - how many have been catalogued?

Steve

[Steve922]

Any Ball-Park estimates out there?

Steve

[narrowbandpaul]

have a look at the hubble guide star catalogue. Presumably these stars have been catalogued. there are over 1million in there i think

[beamish]

just a small percentage then:rolleyes:

[661-pete]

According to the info. on downloads contained in Cartes du Ciel, the USNO-A2 catalog "contains 526,280,881 stars to magnitude 20". I haven't got that one installed, myself, but I have downloaded the GSC catalog (19,000,000 stars to magnitude 15). Well, part of it anyway, I stopped at declination -35°. Even so it took ages!

As for galaxies - well the PGC catalogue "Catalog of Principal Galaxies 1999" contains "193,898 galaxies" and I'm sure that's not exhaustive...

[narrowbandpaul]

526,280,881......

why stop...did they lose count?