Galaxy Count May Now Top 2 Trillion Across Universe

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (CBS / AP) -- Thought the universe was crowded with 100 billion to 200 billion galaxies? Try 1 trillion or even 2 trillion galaxies and more.

That's the latest census, reported Thursday.

An astrophysics professor at the University of Nottingham in England led the international team that came up with the mind-boggling estimate of 2 trillion galaxies in the universe.

Professor Christopher Conselice (CON-sell-lease) says that represents a minimum tenfold increase. The scientists based their galaxy head count on deep-space surveys by the Hubble Space Telescope and ground observatories. They turned the images into 3-D and used new mathematical models for the update.

© Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.