2007-04-19 05:08:10 · 2 answers · asked by Alexander 6 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Not a whole lot brighter. About half of all starlight in the Milky Way is absorbed by interstellar dust, so in the absence of dust, it would be about twice as luminous. Since our perception of brightness depends approximately as the logarithm of the luminosity, the perceived increase in brightness to the eye would not be very great. We could, however, get a clear view at visual wavelengths of the galactic center, a view we can now only get in the infrared and radio.
How do we know this? The power of the starlight that is absorbed by interstellar dust is re-radiated in the far-infrared as a diffuse, continuum emission with a peak at a wavelength around 100 microns. The amount of power in this re-radiated peak, as measured by the IRAS and COBE satellites, is approximately equal to the amount of power in starlight. So, half the starlight is absorbed. This is approximately true of most "normal" spiral galaxies.
2007-04-19 05:18:56 · answer #1 · answered by cosmo 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
DEPENDS ON EARTH CYCLY HOW CLOSE IT IS DURING THAT TIME
2007-04-19 05:13:11 · answer #2 · answered by vintagemale1951 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋