# cosmology: **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 2, 2005, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cosmology/297392 "2005-04-02T12:00:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Claude\_Remains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/898d66/32.png) [@Claude\_Remains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claude_Remains)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cosmology/297392/1 "2005-04-02T12:00:34Z")
I hope this isn’t a D.F.Q. but, is there an “average” distance between the stars in the visible (known) universe? ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cosmology/297392/2 "2005-04-02T13:16:14Z")
I recall reading that the average distance between stars in a galaxy is approximately 5 light years. But galaxies are very far from one another. ---
**Author:** ![Claude\_Remains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/898d66/32.png) [@Claude\_Remains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claude_Remains)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cosmology/297392/3 "2005-04-02T13:32:36Z")
What about a globular cluster? ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cosmology/297392/4 "2005-04-02T14:46:24Z")
[This](http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1991/6/91.06.03.x.html) link supports **pinkfreud** ’s 5 light years and it isn’t the only one, but I’ve found other websites that say the average distance is 3.26 light years, aka a parsec, and yet another website that says 4,300 miles when 1,000 = one light year. And a page that had diagrams drawn out in crayon. Anyway. 🙂 [These](http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/H/Hercules_Globular_Cluster.html) [two](http://maguires.com/astronomy/star_clusters.htm) pages both say the average distance between stars in a globular cluster is approximately one light year. The former gives “just over 3 light years” as the average distance in “solar neighborhoods”. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cosmology/297392/5 "2005-04-02T15:52:03Z")
Stellar density increases as you approach a spiral galaxy’s central bulge. Density also increases towards the center of elliptical galaxies. The density of a globular cluster can approach [one million solar masses per cubic parsec in the central regions.](http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr162/lect/clusters/globular.html) The _actual_ stellar density in the region of the sun is a little uncertain, as no one yet has a handle on the proportion of dim, and difficult to see, red dwarves in the milky way.