There is a cluster of stars that I've always been interested in, ever since i was a little kid: is is just a cluster of stars but you can see it better if you don't look directly at it. Someone told me that it is another galaxy; is this true? What galaxy is it? Any additional info would also be appreciated.
2006-10-29 12:21:31 · 6 answers · asked by Everything 4 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
btw, enufwork, anyone who has looked up at the night sky and paid attention to it will know what i'm talking about
2006-10-29 12:58:28 · update #1
If it is actually a cluster of stars you are looking at, it is probably the Pleides, which is an open cluster of stars in our galaxy. It is usually visible in the summer (norhtern summer, that is) sky. It is not a separate galaxy.
There *is* a galaxy that is visible in a dark sky, but it appears as a smear, not as a cluster of stars. It is the Andromeda Spiral and is mostly visible in the winter sky.
2006-10-29 13:12:17 · answer #1 · answered by mathematician 7 · 3⤊ 1⤋
It does not have to be a galaxy. Star clusters are groups of stars within our own galaxy. There are open clusters were each star is visible and there are globular clusters were the stars are so close it looks like one bright ball of light. Many stars are seen better when you look away from them. It has to do with the human eye.
2006-10-29 12:54:13 · answer #2 · answered by bldudas 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hi. If indeed it is a galaxy then it's probably M31, The Andromeda Galaxy. Easy to find if you know where the Great Square of Pegasus is. Here is a link : http://www.answers.com/main/ntquery?s=Andromeda%20Galaxy&gwp=16
It's about 2.5 or so million light years away. Nice in binoculars. There are other galaxies you can see but this is about the brightest and largest. More than six times the size of the Moon.
2006-10-29 12:23:59 · answer #3 · answered by Cirric 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Several of the "stars" you see in the night sky are actually galaxies. They are so far away, that they appear as a single star to the naked eye. They are, in fact, thousands of light-years in size, so you can imagine how far away they must be to appear so small. If you live in the Southern Hemisphere, you can see the nearest large galaxy (Andromeda) as a fuzzy mass, it is only 2 and 1/2 million light light years away from us.
2006-10-30 00:31:24 · answer #4 · answered by iknowtruthismine 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The sky is pretty big... who knows what you are describing? My guess is the Pleiades which are not a galaxy. There are very few galaxies that can be seen with the naked eye (see link below).
Aloha
2006-10-29 12:25:25 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
You are probably seeing the Pleiades star cluster, also called the Seven Sisters. If you see them in winter that is probably what it is. Its not visible in summer because its overhead during the day time.
Look here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleiades_(star_cluster)
2006-10-29 13:10:24 · answer #6 · answered by Michael da Man 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋