Can we see individual stars in the Andromeda Galaxy?

[Stephanus]

Dear PF Forum,
Just out of curiosity
Can we (through telescope or HST for example) see stars in Andromeda Galaxy?
Is the Andromeda Galaxy the closes galaxy to us. Can we really be sure that there is no other galaxy across Milky Way because our line of sight is blocked by clusters of stars in Milky Way.

Thanks.

 

[Fervent Freyja]

Yes, we can, these are beautiful!
It is the closet spiral galaxy. I'd say they are pretty sure about that.

 

[newjerseyrunner]

Yes, until Edwin Hubble, nobody were Andromeda was. He correctly identified a cepheid variable on it's otter rim. He could do it in the early 1900, now high power telescopes, it's fairly easy.

 

[Stephanus]

Do you mean HST can spot individual stars in Andromeda, as we say observe Vega, 26 ly away?

 

[newjerseyrunner]

Do you mean HST can spot individual stars in Andromeda, as we say observe Vega, 26 ly away?

Yes, in fact, you can see some of the brightest in this 1.5 billion pixel image: http://www.spacetelescope.org/images/heic1502a/zoomable/

The big ones are much closer Milky Way stars, but when you zoom in, you can see individual stars in Andromeda itself.

How much detail they can study them in is obviously no where near the ability to look at close stars but it's certainly possible to pick out individual ones.Hubble's record for precision is 0.0003 arc-seconds according to Wikipedia, to put that in context, that's the width of a dime held a distance of more than 3000 miles.

 

[Stephanus]

Yes, in fact, you can see some of the brightest in this 1.5 billion pixel image: http://www.spacetelescope.org/images/heic1502a/zoomable/

The big ones are much closer Milky Way stars, but when you zoom in, you can see individual stars in Andromeda itself.

How much detail they can study them in is obviously no where near the ability to look at close stars but it's certainly possible to pick out individual ones.Hubble's record for precision is 0.0003 arc-seconds according to Wikipedia, to put that in context, that's the width of a dime held a distance of more than 3000 miles.

Wow!
If I don't know PF Forum better, I'd say this is a computer generated software.

Ok, my curiosity fullfiled.

 

[davenn]

Do you mean HST can spot individual stars in Andromeda, as we say observe Vega, 26 ly away?

Yes, in fact, you can see some of the brightest in this 1.5 billion pixel image: http://www.spacetelescope.org/images/heic1502a/zoomable/

The big ones are much closer Milky Way stars, but when you zoom in, you can see individual stars in Andromeda itself.

I am pretty sure it's safe to say that almost ALL the individual stars visible in the UNZOOMED image are foreground stars in our galaxy

 

[newjerseyrunner]

I am pretty sure it's safe to say that almost ALL the individual stars visible in the UNZOOMED image are foreground stars in our galaxy

Certainly so.