According to Far & Wide, the galaxy we call home weighs in at an astronomical 1.5 trillion solar units — a measurement that means nothing to most people. For the average, non-mathematical space enthusiast, that is like saying, “this table weighs 1.5 trillion rubber bands” or “this desk weighs 1.5 trillion colored pencils.”

To give you a bit more perspective, that measurement equates to something roughly 890 billion times heavier than our sun. If you don’t feel small enough when looking at the ocean or peering through a telescope, just try to imagine how small you are compared to the sun and then multiply that weight by 890 billion. How do we know it’s that heavy? Like every measurement calculated in space, this is, at best, an estimate. This estimated weight was determined by the Hubble Space Telescope and the Gia Space Observatory’s 2019 data report. A separate study published by the Astrophysical Journal indicates that 85% of that weight is dark matter. Given its sheer volume and mass, nobody expected it to be light.