The mass stranding was first discovered by wild swimmers on Thursday morning at Wardie Bay in Granton.
Marine biologists have since suggested that it may have been due to the recent stormy weather and change in temperature.
It also comes after thousands of the invertebrates also washed ashore along a wide stretch of Kirkcaldy beach in Fife last year.
Hannah Foster discovered the starfish and told BBC Scotland News that she was “shocked” to make the discovery.
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“It was really sad and bizarre to see them all washed up and tangled in the seaweed, there were so many,” she said.
“It was so cold last night that half of them were all frozen and dead.
“We did a short swim and took some with us that looked like they still had colour in a bid to save them, I don’t know if it would have done anything but you always have to try in these situations.
“A local who has lived near the bay for the last five years said this has only happened once before, it is not a normal sight.”
Dr Alasdair O’Dell, a marine biologist at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) in Oban added: “There are a number of factors to consider when events like this occur, so there’s no sure way of knowing what caused it without a thorough investigation.
“However, stormy weather and the recent rapid change in temperature could have been contributing factors.”