The galaxy is 2,000,000 light years from Earth and about 100,000 light years in length so it is 20 times further away than it is large. A 6ft person standing 120ft away would certainly look larger in relative terms than the andromeda galaxy does. Why is this?
2007-02-10 08:53:19 · 11 answers · asked by Not a number 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Andromeda galaxy has an apparent diameter of 190' (x 60'). That means about 3 grades or 3 * pi /180 radians = 0.05 radians.
But 0.05 * 2,000,000 ly = 100,000 ly of diameter.
So it seems that theoric calculations match observations.
The same for the person. We see him/her under 0.05 radians. ¿What explains the different impression? Well, in the second case there is practically no atmosphere between, and we are also better prepared to distinguish people features than not objects. There is another psicological effect, by the way. It seems that we appreciate as bigger objects seen at ground level. This is the only explanation found to explain why the moon looks bigger when next to horizon. Maybe the contrast with other usual objects of our environment help us to appreciate sizes as bigger.
In the case of Andromeda, when seen naked eye (and even with binoculars and little telescopes), the apparent diameter is even less than the astronomical figure, because we only see the central illuminated part of it.
I apologize for my poor english.
2007-02-10 09:15:38 · answer #1 · answered by Jano 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The andromeda galaxy is large in the sky. It is bigger than the moon by far, subtending an angle of 3 to 4 degrees (the moon is only half a degree wide). The reason why it doesn't stand out is because it is relatively faint, especially far from the core. Our eyes do not have pupils large enough to see the whole galaxy easily. Telescopes can pick it out better.
In a dark sky on a clear night, the core of the galaxy is easily visible to the naked eye. It looks like a fuzzy ball smaller than the moon, rather faint. That's the best our eyes alone can do.
2007-02-10 09:01:57 · answer #2 · answered by Arkalius 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you use your thumb held at arms length as a guide, that's about 2 degrees. You're going to find that a person at 120ft and the Andromeda galaxy subtend similar angles. The difficulty with the andromeda galaxy is it's not particularly bright. If your eyes were some 100 times more sensetive to light, you'd find it plenty bigh enough.
2007-02-10 09:09:32 · answer #3 · answered by BIMS Lewis 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I just found the answer to this the other day. Look in Wikipedia and it says that yes the width of Andromeda is so wide that it would look around 7 diameters of the moon wide. However to the naked eye you can only see a small spot because only the very centre of the galaxy is bright enough to see with the naked eye.
2007-02-10 11:29:01 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The circumference of a circle is pi r squared. If I look at something 120 ft away then at the same thing 240 ft away my visual field increases with the square of the distance. My eye, however, remains the same size so the image from further away is a smaller area of my retina than just half what it was.
The further away something is the greater the geometric effect of distance on the image size until even a galaxy disappears against the general background.
2007-02-10 10:07:27 · answer #5 · answered by narkypoon 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
nicely... you do not quite see the "previous" once you seem on the celebs. they are in basic terms up to now-off that the gentle we are seing now, they produced a lengthy time period in the past. a megastar interior the sky today may have surely burned out in the previous, although that's gentle remains making its thanks to earth. so that you spot, you mustn't in any respect surely see the large Bang, because actually that's the option of what you're saying, the farther out we seem the more recent the images are, till you attain the point the position you may surely see the megastar or inspite of in authentic time. Get it?
2016-11-26 22:06:49 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Wow these are numbers that stagger the mind. I was never good at figures but I think it comes down to perspective because everything is relative sayeth Monsieur Einstein. Great question.
2007-02-10 08:58:55 · answer #7 · answered by Birdman 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No.6 - you are a free man - i think you need to change your perspective on matters such as this!!!
2007-02-10 09:29:06 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because space also distorts the image, space is not empty, it's full of energy, both visible and dark; radiation and so forth.
2007-02-10 09:46:22 · answer #9 · answered by elflaeda 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
it is actually 2,200,000 light years from Earth
and i think it has something to do with the curvature of light and some thing like that
2007-02-10 09:08:36 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋