2007-07-10 15:35:00 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
The actual numbers of stars has probably not changed in the last two thousand years. However, if you mean the number of stars we can see, the answer is no. There are more stars visible today than ever before.
Sure, today street lamps and other artificial lights cast so much light pollution into the night sky that only the brightest stars can be seen with the naked eye. People in Jesus' time didn't have that problem and probably saw more stars at night than would people today in urban areas like New York or Tokyo.
On the other hand, people didn't have telescopes back then either. The unaided human eye can see stars with an apparent magnitude of 6, about the brightness of the planet Uranus. A ground-based 8m telescope can see stars with an apparent magnitude of 27, which is about 2 million times fainter. Astronomers can see more stars today than ever before.
2007-07-10 16:01:55 · answer #1 · answered by stork5100 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
New stars are born and old stars die, but its a very slow process. On the whole the number of stars in the sky has probably not changed much in the time since the birth of Christ.
However, in most places you cannot see as many stars today as you could back then because of what astronomers call light pollution. All the lights people use at night, especially around cities, make it harder to see faint stars. As a result, if you go out in the country you can see a lot more stars.
2007-07-10 22:42:21 · answer #2 · answered by Michael C 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, the number of stars hasn't changed considerably since Jesus' birth. One or two have progressed further in their births or deaths, but star's lifetimes are very long.
The stars would have appeared to be in slightly different positions 2000 years ago though, as the axis of the earth has a little wobble to it.
Also, because there was so much less light pollution at the time more may have been easily visible, but the same number existed nevertheless.
2007-07-10 22:41:32 · answer #3 · answered by rowdy ferret 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
no. there are the same amount or maybe more now. it takes so long for a star to be created. and it takes equally long for one to die. look it up on the scientific american or an astronomy web site. jesus was born about 2000 years ago right? well the amount of stars cant have changed that much in that short amount of time compared to how old the earth is.
2007-07-10 22:41:34 · answer #4 · answered by theteapot 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No. Two thousand years is but a blip when compared to the age of the universe (most recent estimate: 13.7 billion years old). The sky star count was basically the same.
2007-07-10 22:39:17 · answer #5 · answered by Stephen L 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I like the way you think Tierney. LOL I think she meant light pollution...
The rate of star death to star birth is about the same So give or take a 100 million No...
2007-07-10 22:41:39 · answer #6 · answered by Jon X 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No.
Because, the Big Bang (if you believe in it) was 13 or so billion years before hand. Billions of stars were still being made. Then, now it's still the same.
2007-07-10 22:46:29 · answer #7 · answered by donmorano 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well i believe, an my churchbelieves, that wen the world was created God created all the stars at one time. And as the world got older stars get older, an die(supernova). So yea i wud think there are less stars now then back then.
2007-07-10 22:40:30 · answer #8 · answered by kathryn.butler@sbcglobal.net 2 · 0⤊ 4⤋
i would think there are more now as the light from more and more stars reaches us
2007-07-10 22:43:33 · answer #9 · answered by susuze2000 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
MAYBE JUST MORE VISIBLE DUE TO LESS DEVELOPMENT AND ONLY OIL LAMPS
2007-07-10 22:43:45 · answer #10 · answered by Bettee62 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋