What stellar type makes up the vast majority of stars in the universe?
Answer
Red dwarfs
Despite the Sun's prominence in our local environment, a statistical survey of the Milky Way reveals that the most common type of star by frequency are red dwarfs. These stars are significantly smaller and possess far less mass than the Sun. Red dwarfs are estimated to constitute around 70% of the total stellar count observed. This high frequency means that, by pure numbers, the Sun is actually a relatively large and luminous star compared to the cosmic majority. This statistical fact often leads to careful contextualization when astronomers describe the Sun as 'average,' usually implying average among *middle-aged, main-sequence* stars capable of supporting planetary systems.
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