And if so, where would you look?
2006-07-13 03:56:57 · 25 answers · asked by jxt299 7 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Yes. In the northern hemisphere, on a dark clear night, there's the Andromeda Galaxy. Find the constellation Andromeda (from which the Andromeda Galaxy gets its name), whose main 3 bright stars form a straight line. Moving up from the middle star, you'll see a fuzzy patch. Very faint. Another way to find the Andromeda Galaxy is to use the "W" in Casseopia. A "W" is like two "V's" side by side. If you use the right hand "V" as a pointer, in about five "V" lenghts you can find the Andromeda. But even a cheap pair of binoculars will serve you better than just using your eyes. It's not that the Andromeda isn't very big in the night sky, it's apparent diameter spans six full moon widths. It's just that it's very faint and with your eye you're only seeing the core. If you Google for an image of the Andromeda, you will appreciate how vast it is. It's got twice as many stars as our own galaxy, lies about 2.3 million light years from us, is about 200,000 light years across, and our galaxy is on a collision course with the Andromeda. In many billions of years, the Milky Way and the Andromeda will do a little dosey-do with each other, gravitationally triggering huge starburst regions along their spiral arms. Should be a awesome sight, but we'll be long gone by then. In the southern hemisphere, two irregular satellite galaxies of the Milky Way, called the Megallanic Clouds, can also be seen. These galaxies have some very active star forming regions. That's it - for anything else you need a telescope.
2006-07-13 05:52:51 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
There are three or four galaxies that can be seen with the naked eye, on a dark night, if you are in the right part of the world at the right time of the year.
The Andromeda galaxy can be seen unaided in Andromeda near Perseus.
(That fuzzy patch of light in Taurus isn't a galaxy; it's the Pleiades, a star cluster inside the Milky Way.)
You can see the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds in the Southern Hemisphere.
2006-07-13 04:45:09 · answer #2 · answered by David S 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes! You just can't tell - most of the stars you see in the night sky are in fact galaxies, except in the band for the Milky Way. If you think about it, beyond our own galaxy stars actually extremely small and faint, but galaxies, containing billions of stars, appear from such a great distance that each one looks like a star.
2006-07-13 04:38:14 · answer #3 · answered by qetyl 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, Andromeda which is the nearest to the Milky way.
It's between Cassiopea and Pegasus, a bit faint even if you're in the countryside. Check out a chart. I find it easier to find through lateral vision.
There are more galaxies, even closer to us than Andromeda, but they are satellites to our own. Most are very "small" so can't be seen with the naked eye.
2006-07-13 04:11:55 · answer #4 · answered by Atomin 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes, but you have to live in an area with no light pollution. You can see the Andromeda galaxy with your naked eye. It looks like a fuzzy spot up in the sky. It's really amazing once you realize it's there!! I'm not sure where to find it, but I've seen it in Hawaii. Look it up online astronomy.com.
2006-07-13 04:02:18 · answer #5 · answered by theletterQ 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can see the andromeda galaxy with the naked eye.
You'll probably need to look at an online star chart to find it though. It looks like a fuzzy star.
You can also see the Orion nebula with the naked eye. Its the fuzzy star in the orion constelation.
2006-07-13 04:01:35 · answer #6 · answered by double_nubbins 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
O some days, we can see just a glint of other planets. But no. There is no possible way to see other galaxies with the naked eye.
2006-07-13 03:58:30 · answer #7 · answered by CC 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes you can,
if you live in the northern hemisphere and you find a place thtat's very dark you can see the Andromeda galaxie near the "toreau" (I don't know the name in english, it maybe something like taurus, it's the zodiac galaxie that looks like a bull) constellation, it looks like a small stain of milk.....
in the southern hemisphere you can easily see the Magelan clouds, those galaxie don't have the regular shape, ie a spirale, but they look like cloud. They are easy to find
2006-07-13 04:04:11 · answer #8 · answered by australeolive 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes...you can find the Andromeda Galaxy now in the Summer sky...check out some start charts. It's faint but it's there...a pair of binoculars would be even better....
2006-07-13 04:01:03 · answer #9 · answered by nittany128 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hi,
It is difficult I assume, but someone in a lecture mentioned that we can see the galaxy close to us on the right or left side of the sky...
Karl
http://laser.toplaserhairremovaltips.com/
2006-07-13 04:48:22 · answer #10 · answered by James 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋