The average gap between two stars in the Milky Way is about 5 light-years, roughly 29 trillion miles (47 trillion kilometers). One line of argument connects that spacing to why anyone is around to measure it.
Messier 83 is a barred spiral galaxy in Hydra, roughly 15 million light-years away and the southernmost galaxy in Messier's catalogue. Here's what it is, why its arms glow pink, and how to find it with binoculars.