Why Is Space Black? - Science ABC

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Space is black for two primary reasons — the finite number of stars in the universe and because our ability to see is limited to the visible spectrum of light. 

Staring up into a night sky full of stars is one of the most humbling and powerful experiences we have as humans; it is a sight that has inspired us for tens of thousands of years. While the naked eye can see fewer than 4,500 stars at any given point on Earth, we know that there are at least 100 billion stars in the Milky Way (our galaxy) alone.

If that hasn’t completely fried your sense of perspective, consider this—it is estimated that there are more than 170 billion galaxies in our universe, many of which are far larger than our home galaxy.

Billions of galaxies in the universe(Outer Space)s
Billions of galaxies in the universe (Photo Credit : Outer Space/Shutterstock)

This means that there are trillions of stars in the universe, each one a pulsing, radiation machine that can illuminate the space around it for millions of miles.

Given those incalculably large numbers, it comes as no surprise that a common question throughout history has been about the apparent lack of light in the sky. More specifically, why does space appear to be black?

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