It's just theoretically impossible. It's like knowing how yourself look like without a mirror/camera/alike. We see those pictures of Milky way in books/online/etc., but how do they know what it looks like (when we, ourselves, are in it)? We must have put cameras/telescopes outside of our Milky way galaxy, but that's not possible.
2007-02-21 18:21:44 · 5 answers · asked by Bill 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Same way the ancients figured out that the earth is a sphere. Same way a blind person can tell what you look like; LOGIC and meticulous observation. If you place a stick in the ground and watch its shadow(that is exactly how the ancient Greeks did it) you will note that at sunrise it casts a long shadow to the west which gradually shortens in length till it becomes vertical and then continues to elongate in the opposite direction. The only surface shape that allows this phenomenon to occur is a circle. Same thing with the shape of our galaxy. From the angle that light (Visible range or macro/micro waves) hits our telescopes (radio/reflectors etc) and with the gaps (absence of concentration of stars) this is the only shape our Galaxy could be. We do not have to leave the planet to figure out things or shapes. Interestingly enough most instruments we have are not used to discover things but to confirm or reject theories. The human brain is an awesome tool.
2007-02-21 18:57:08 · answer #1 · answered by The Stainless Steel Rat 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Excellent question.
In order to capture the photos they have of the Milky Way, the telescopes would have to be in another galaxy entirely, which scientists deny is the case. Anything is possible though because we are just a tiny speck in the entire universe.
2007-02-21 18:32:44 · answer #2 · answered by Cinnamon 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We know what kind of galaxy we are in and its approximate size using various types of scientific investigations that we've developed over the years. As for what the Milky Way looks like from outside, we don't know for sure. Any pictures that claim to show our galaxy from an external point of view are either simulated renderings, or pictures of some other similar type galaxy (M33, the Triangulum Galaxy is a popular one to use for this purpose as you can see here: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980721.html ).
2007-02-21 18:45:01 · answer #3 · answered by Arkalius 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We have measured the galaxy with radio telescopes. We pretty much know how close we are to the edge and the center. With this an artist can make his best guess to what our galaxy "looks like."
2007-02-21 18:31:07 · answer #4 · answered by Jeff M 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you're on top of big Boeing 777 can you make out its shape? Milky way is freaking huge. Luckly we're at a location where we can see its shape much like the way you would stand on top of Boeing 777 and be able to see its general shape.
2007-02-21 18:37:56 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋