How many stars -- what about galaxies?

[netdragon]

Can't we see some galaxies with the naked eye? http://www.space.com/spacewatch/070309_ns_dark_skies.html mentioned that only a few thousand stars can be seen with the naked eye, but aren't some "stars" we see actually galaxies?

 

[MeteorWayne]

Yes a few galaxies are naked eye visible, most easily the Andromeda galaxy, which is within reach of suburban skies.<br /><br />But, you are not seeing the light of individual stars, but rather the combined lights of all the billions of stars. No single star at that distance can be seen.<br /><br />It's a subtle difference. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[docm]

Galaxies look fuzzy to the eye, hence their usually being classified as <i>nebulae</i>. The closest non-satellite galaxy to us is M31, AKA Andromeda or the Andromeda nebula.<br /><br />Other structures with a fuzzy appearance are star clusters, which can contain hundreds of thousands of members, but they aren't galaxies but are parts of their home galaxy. <br /><br />I can't imagine a bright point source to the eye being anything but a star or planet. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[MeteorWayne]

And we can see the individual stars of many clusters that reside in our own galaxy.<br /><br />Pleides, hyades, double cluster, etc. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[weeman]

If you're out on a clear night, and where it is dark enough to make out the milky way, you will be able to see Andromeda, and it will almost look like a small portion of the Milky Way that has broken off. <br /><br />Whatever galaxies that we can see with the naked eye aren't very easy to make out. Even through my telescope (4.5" diameter) Andromeda is a faint, fuzzy patch. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><strong><font color="#ff0000">Techies: We do it in the dark. </font></strong></p><p><font color="#0000ff"><strong>"Put your hand on a stove for a minute and it seems like an hour. Sit with that special girl for an hour and it seems like a minute. That's relativity.</strong><strong>" -Albert Einstein </strong></font></p> </div>

 

[doubletruncation]

If you live in, or visit, the southern hemisphere you can also see the magellanic clouds which are satellite galaxies of the milky way - they look like pieces of the milky way that are broken off. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[heyscottie]

Even easier to observe, of course, is the Milky Way itself. Here you are seeing the glow of hundreds of billions of stars. But you aren't seeing the individual stars at all. So the estimate of a couple thousand individually observable, countable naked eye stars is correct.

 

[vandivx]

not being astronomy buff, am I right that the stars we see at night are all from our arm of milky way galaxy, I think we are located in Orion arm and so the individual stars one sees with unaided eyes come all from this neighbourhood? and probably even that might be too large area for us to see all of its individual stars, say in a sphere centered on solar system and extending to nearest edge of the orion arm<br /><br />vanDivX <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[MeteorWayne]

But with binoculars, you can see individual stars.<br />That's not in the ream of other galaxies. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[MeteorWayne]

I haves spotted M33 naked eye once. Isn't that another galaxy? I could be wrong. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[MeteorWayne]

Like I said, ONCE <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[doubletruncation]

"I haves spotted M33 naked eye once. Isn't that another galaxy? I could be wrong."<br /><br />That's amazing! Even though it's almost the same distance from us as Andromeda, and not all that much smaller, it's face on and without a significant bulge - which makes it quite a bit fainter. <br /><br />I am jealous of you and your eagle eyes, M33 is my favorite galaxy <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" />! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[weeman]

I would have to say that our own galaxy is one of the most stunning things in the sky. If you're out on a clear night, miles from any lights, the Milky Way is by far one of the most breath taking things to observe. <br /><br />I think one of the best places I've been to view the Milky Way is on the big island of Hawaii. I remember how my neck got sore because I stood there looking up for so long, in utter disbelief! It's one of those things where you're so amazed that you can't look away. Sort of like a huge racecar crash or the most beautiful woman that you've ever seen <img src="/images/icons/laugh.gif" /> <img src="/images/icons/laugh.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><strong><font color="#ff0000">Techies: We do it in the dark. </font></strong></p><p><font color="#0000ff"><strong>"Put your hand on a stove for a minute and it seems like an hour. Sit with that special girl for an hour and it seems like a minute. That's relativity.</strong><strong>" -Albert Einstein </strong></font></p> </div>

 

[chesh]

"Downunder" in the S. Hemisphere, we can see the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, the easiest & largest galaxies to see. They cover several degrees of sky and are seen in the fall, which is spring in the S. Hemisphere.<br /><br />http://www.seds.org/messier/xtra/ngc/lmc.html<br />http://www.seds.org/messier/xtra/ngc/smc.html<br /><br />Both the fine color images from the AAO telescopes in Siding Springs, in the Warrumbungles, west of Coonabarabran, NSW..<br /><br />http://www.aao.gov.au/images<br /><br /> The LMC and SMC cannot be seen from the N. Hemisphere, where the huge Andromeda, M31, is a tiny splotch in the sky best seen in the fall. Tiny M33 can also be seen on a very clear night sky and is an outlying galaxy of M31.<br /><br /> With a good set of field glasses you can see a good many more galaxies, all year round by checking the Messier listings, also in SEDS.org.<br /><br />Also from the AAO:<br /><br />http://www.seds.org/messier/m/m033.html<br /><br />Or look at all the cool Messier objects, including galaxies!<br /><br />http://www.seds.org/messier

 

[chesh]

Looking at the entire Andromeda galaxy from M110 an elliptical satellite galaxy, would be the most fantastic image possible. The Andromeda would lie stretched in all its glory from horizon to horizon and if in deep space cover the entire sky. It is far, far larger than the Milky Way.<br /><br />Sadly, it's quite out of reach at 2-3 millions light years away.<br /><br />Here's the photo telescopic image of M110, the bright dwarf elliptical galaxy just below big Andromeda. <br /><br />http://www.seds.org/messier/m/m031.html<br />

 

[vandivx]

<font color="yellow">I am jealous of you and your eagle eyes, M33 is my favorite galaxy !</font><br /><br />I believe eyes can be trained to be more sensitive, same as ears can be to hear more, you just have to avoid bright artificial lights and best sleep during daytime and you should see the difference soon, its like surgeons and pianists have to tend their hands<br /><br />I once had ears plugged up with wax when I was just 20 years old and when the wax was removed I almost fainted because of what I could hear, like I could hear a toe moving in my shoe very loudly plus all the technical noises in a building like airconditioning water piping and all that, probably like dogs can hear if not better, in the months when my ears got plugged up my hearing got very sensitive trying to make do with what little sound was available and when unplugged the sensitivity fell off to normal level in a day or two... and I think eyes would be like that too, you really should wear dark glasses in daylight all the time if you are astronomer and you should avoid all bright artificial light<br /><br />people living prior to invention of electricity for sure had much keener eyesight and if you couple that with virtually no light polution like what we have today they had to have brilliant views and no wonder they did see so much even without telescopes<br /><br />vanDivX <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[netdragon]

So they are too faint to see as a point source when far enough away to see as a point source because the combined intensity of the stars doesn't make up for the distance through which the light has to travel giving it ample time to spread out so not enough photons reach our eyes? This same reason makes groups of the stars in the nearby Andromeda galaxy appear as fuzzy patches?