Posted: Thu, Dec 2, 2010, 6:50 AM ET (1150 GMT)
The total number of stars in the universe may be three times larger than previously thought, thanks to a better understanding of the number of stars in elliptical galaxies, astronomers announced Thursday. Observations of eight elliptical galaxies with the powerful Keck telescopes in Hawaii turned up large numbers of faint red dwarf stars in the cores of those galaxies. Astronomers now believe that such galaxies may contain five to ten times as many stars as previous thought, a funding that would triple the total number of stars in the universe.

Related Links:

•  Science News article
•  Los Angeles Times article
•  New York Times article
•  Reuters article
•  Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics press release