Part of the Exploration & Endgame Series:

Quick Answer

  • There are 256 galaxies, numbered 1 to 256. You start in Euclid (galaxy 1).
  • Galaxies come in three flavours beyond normal: Lush, Harsh and Abandoned. The type changes the odds of what planets generate, not the rules of the game.
  • Galaxy 2 is Hilbert Dimension, 3 is Calypso, 10 is Eissentam. Eissentam is a Lush galaxy and the single most popular place to settle.
  • You keep almost everything when you jump: bases, freighter, ships, multi-tools, discoveries, quest progress and units all carry over.
  • What you lose is teleporter access to space stations in the old galaxy, and your installed technology takes damage on arrival.
  • Galaxy 256 (Odyalutai) is in the data but has been closed off since Atlas Rises in 2017. You cannot reach it.
  • Most players should jump once or twice at most, land in a Lush galaxy, and stop. There is no mechanical reward for grinding to galaxy 200.

Overview

The galaxy question comes in two halves and they get tangled together constantly.

The first half is "what is out there?" — a list question, answered below. The second half is "should I go?" — a cost question, and the cost is almost always overestimated. Players hoard bases in Euclid for hundreds of hours under the belief that jumping galaxies wipes their save. It does not, and has not for years.

The honest summary is that galaxies are a cosmetic and probabilistic layer. A Lush galaxy rolls better planets more often. It does not give you better ships, more slots, or different technology. If you love your Euclid base, staying costs you very little. If you are tired of scorched rocks, one jump to Eissentam will change your game more than fifty hours of system-hopping inside Euclid.

The Three Galaxy Types

Every galaxy past the first has a type that biases planet generation. The type is fixed per galaxy.

Type What changes In-game descriptors
Normal Baseline generation. Euclid is normal. Various
Lush More lush and paradise planets, fewer dead ones. Higher chance of exotic planets in yellow-star systems. Tranquil, Inspiring, Serene, Halcyon
Harsh Same broad mix as normal, but far more extreme planets — extreme weather, extreme sentinels, extreme hazards. Aggressive, Hostile, Savage
Abandoned More dead and barren planets, fewer lush ones. Also a raised chance of exotics in yellow-star systems. Abandoned, Empty, Desolate

Two things worth internalising:

  • Lush and Abandoned both raise exotic-planet odds in yellow systems. If you hunt exotic biomes specifically, Abandoned galaxies are not the wasteland the name suggests.
  • Harsh is not "harder" in a meaningful way. It generates more extreme planets, which is a hazard-protection problem, not a difficulty setting. Your hazard protection loadout handles it.

If your goal is a permanent home base on a beautiful planet, you want Lush. If your goal is finding weird planets to photograph, Abandoned is underrated. If you want a challenge, the difficulty settings are a far better lever than galaxy type.

The Named Galaxies

The first ten are the ones players actually discuss, because they are the ones reachable in a reasonable number of jumps. Every galaxy from 11 upward is procedurally named and mechanically identical to one of the four types above.

# Name Type
1 Euclid Normal — where every save begins
2 Hilbert Dimension Lush
3 Calypso Lush
4 Hesperius Dimension Harsh
5 Hyades Normal
6 Ickjamatew Abandoned
7 Budullangr Lush
8 Kikolgallr Harsh
9 Eltiensleen Normal
10 Eissentam Lush

Galaxies 11 through 255 continue with procedurally generated names and cycle through the same four types. Galaxy 256, Odyalutai, exists in the game's data but was closed off in the Atlas Rises update in 2017 and cannot be reached through normal play. A legacy entry named Yilsrussimil sits in the data alongside it.

One caveat on the type column: community documentation of galaxy types past the first ten has been assembled by players over many years and across many updates, and individual entries occasionally disagree. The first ten are well established. Treat any single-source claim about galaxy 147 with appropriate scepticism.

Why Everyone Ends Up in Eissentam

Eissentam is galaxy 10, it is Lush, and it has become the de facto community home galaxy. That is partly generation quality and mostly network effect: it is where the shared bases, the well-known portal addresses and the multiplayer population concentrated.

Nine jumps is a real commitment, though. Two shortcuts are worth knowing:

  • The Atlas Path ending deposits you in a new galaxy directly, and is the intended narrative route. See the Atlas Path guide.
  • Repeated centre runs are the brute-force route. Each completed journey to the core moves you forward exactly one galaxy. There is no way to skip ahead to a specific galaxy number.

If nine jumps sounds tedious, stop at Hilbert Dimension (2) or Calypso (3). Both are Lush. The generation difference between Hilbert and Eissentam is negligible; the population difference is the whole story.

What You Keep and What You Lose

This is the section that actually changes decisions, and the misinformation here is thick. Modern behaviour, as of the current build:

Kept:

  • All your bases. They remain in the old galaxy, and you retain teleporter access to them from any base or teleporter network node.
  • Your freighter and its entire base, plus your frigate fleet.
  • Every ship and multi-tool in your collection.
  • All discoveries, including named systems, creatures and planets.
  • Quest and milestone progress. Nothing resets.
  • Units, nanites, quicksilver and inventory contents.

Lost or degraded:

  • Space station teleporter access in the old galaxy. Your teleporter list keeps your bases but drops old stations.
  • Installed technology takes damage on arrival and needs repairing — ship, multi-tool and Exosuit alike.

That last item has a clean workaround: package your technology into your inventory before the jump, or make the crossing in a spare ship and a spare multi-tool. Technology sitting as an inventory item cannot be damaged. Doing this turns a tedious repair session into nothing at all.

One practical warning. Because you keep base teleporter access but lose old station access, it is easy to teleport back to a Euclid base and find yourself with no convenient route forward. Build a small base or visit a station in the new galaxy immediately on arrival, before you teleport anywhere. A base computer and nothing else is enough to anchor the return trip.

Is Jumping Worth It?

A straight answer, by player type:

  • You have a base you love and enjoy the game as-is. Do not jump. There is no reward you are missing.
  • You want prettier planets for building or photography. Jump once, to Hilbert or Calypso. One centre run.
  • You want the community galaxy. Commit to Eissentam and use the Atlas Path route.
  • You are chasing a specific ship or multi-tool. Do not jump. S-class hunting works identically in every galaxy; the odds do not improve.
  • You are done with the game and want a reason to keep playing. A fresh Lush galaxy is a genuinely good reset that costs you nothing you own.

There is no achievement, technology, or unlock gated behind a high galaxy number. The milestones and catalogue systems do not track galaxies traversed as a reward tier. Anyone telling you galaxy 50 has better loot is repeating a rumour that has never been true.

FAQ

How many galaxies are in No Man's Sky?

256, numbered 1 to 256. Galaxy 256 (Odyalutai) has been inaccessible since 2017, so 255 are reachable in practice.

Do I lose my base when I change galaxies?

No. Your bases stay in the old galaxy and you keep teleporter access to them. This is the single most common piece of outdated advice about galaxy travel — older builds behaved differently, and that behaviour has not applied for years.

Can I go back to my old galaxy?

Yes, via your base teleporter. What you cannot do is travel backwards through the centre — galaxy progression only moves forward. Keeping a base in a galaxy is what keeps the door open, which is a good argument for planting a cheap base computer before you leave.

Which galaxy is the best?

Eissentam if you want the community and a Lush galaxy. Hilbert Dimension if you want Lush without nine jumps. Neither is mechanically superior to Euclid — the difference is planet generation odds and where other players are.

Does galaxy type affect ship or multi-tool quality?

No. Class and seed rolls are identical everywhere. Galaxy type biases planet generation only.

How do I get to a specific galaxy number?

You cannot jump directly. Each completed journey to the galactic core advances you exactly one galaxy, in order. Reaching Eissentam from Euclid means nine crossings.

Why did my technology break when I arrived?

That is expected on a centre jump. Package your technology into your inventory beforehand, or cross in a spare ship and multi-tool, and nothing takes damage.

Key Takeaways

  • 256 galaxies, 255 reachable, all mechanically identical apart from planet generation bias.
  • Three types past normal: Lush (paradise planets), Harsh (extreme planets), Abandoned (dead planets, good exotic odds).
  • You keep bases, ships, freighter, discoveries and quest progress. Only old space-station teleports and installed technology condition are affected.
  • Package your tech before jumping and the repair chore disappears entirely.
  • Eissentam (10) is the community home; Hilbert (2) and Calypso (3) are Lush and eight jumps closer.
  • Build a base immediately on arrival so you always have a route back.