How Bright Would the Milky Way Look If It Had No Dust?

In summary, the conversation discusses the impact of interstellar dust on the visibility of the Milky Way and questions how bright it would appear without any dust. It also considers the effect of urban light pollution and the variability of visibility depending on factors like street lighting and nearby areas. The use of search engines to gather information is also mentioned.
  • #1
CygnusX-1
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Interstellar dust prevents us from seeing most of the light of the Milky Way. Does anyone know how bright it would look if it had no dust at all? As it is, the Milky Way is impossible to see from cities and many suburbs, but how would the situation improve if there were no dust between the stars?
 
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  • #2
Not to make problems for you, but cut and paste your title into a search engine and see if that doesn't wok for you. I just tried it, and it seemed okay to me.

With regard to urban light pollution (what you described) you cannot make blanket statements about brightness of astronomical objects with any great certainty.
Why? It depends on the type of street lighting, nearby parking lots and so on. Example: Some urban neighborhoods in Santa Fe have covenants about outdoor lighting, which improves things a lot, IMO.

PF not a very good replacement for Google searches, anyhow.
 
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1. How does dust affect the brightness of the Milky Way?

Dust particles in the Milky Way block and scatter light, making the galaxy appear dimmer to us on Earth.

2. Would the Milky Way be significantly brighter without dust?

Yes, the Milky Way would be much brighter without dust, as light would not be blocked or scattered, allowing us to see more stars and structures within the galaxy.

3. What effect does the amount of dust have on the brightness of the Milky Way?

The more dust present in the Milky Way, the dimmer it appears to us. This is because more dust particles block and scatter more light, reducing the overall brightness of the galaxy.

4. Can we accurately determine the brightness of the Milky Way without considering dust?

No, it is not possible to accurately determine the brightness of the Milky Way without taking into account the effects of dust. Dust significantly affects the overall brightness and appearance of the galaxy.

5. How do scientists account for the effects of dust when studying the Milky Way?

Scientists use various techniques, such as infrared and radio observations, to study the Milky Way and account for the effects of dust. They also use sophisticated models and simulations to understand how dust affects the brightness and appearance of the galaxy.

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