Can we see individual stars in the Andromeda Galaxy?

Click For Summary
SUMMARY

Yes, individual stars in the Andromeda Galaxy can be observed using the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The Andromeda Galaxy is the closest spiral galaxy to the Milky Way, and high-power telescopes like the HST have made it possible to identify individual stars within it. Edwin Hubble's early 20th-century work on cepheid variables laid the groundwork for this capability. The HST achieves a remarkable precision of 0.0003 arc-seconds, allowing astronomers to discern details that were previously unattainable.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Hubble Space Telescope (HST) capabilities
  • Familiarity with astronomical concepts such as cepheid variables
  • Knowledge of galaxy classifications, specifically spiral galaxies
  • Basic comprehension of angular measurement in astronomy (arc-seconds)
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the capabilities of the Hubble Space Telescope and its imaging techniques
  • Explore the significance of cepheid variables in distance measurement in astronomy
  • Learn about the structure and characteristics of spiral galaxies
  • Investigate the methods used to measure angular precision in astronomical observations
USEFUL FOR

Astronomers, astrophysics students, and anyone interested in deep-space observation and the study of galaxies will benefit from this discussion.

Stephanus
Messages
1,316
Reaction score
104
Dear PF Forum,
Just out of curiosity :smile:
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.
 
Astronomy news on Phys.org
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: Stephanus
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.
 
Do you mean HST can spot individual stars in Andromeda, as we say observe Vega, 26 ly away?
 
Stephanus said:
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.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: rootone
newjerseyrunner said:
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.
:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
Ok, my curiosity fullfiled.
 
Stephanus said:
Do you mean HST can spot individual stars in Andromeda, as we say observe Vega, 26 ly away?
newjerseyrunner said:
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
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: Stephanus
davenn said:
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.
 

Similar threads

High School Are the stars that we see in constellations within the Milky Way galaxy?
  • · Replies 31 ·
2
Replies
31
Views
5K
High School What keeps most galactic stars from falling into the centeral black hole?
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
2K
High School Questions about Supermassive stars in the Milky Way Galaxy
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
3K
Undergrad Why on Earth do we not see older stars close to us?
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
Undergrad Lines of stars that we see in the sky
  • · Replies 26 ·
Replies
26
Views
6K
High School NGC 4590, more than 1,400 stars found in various evolutionary stages
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
Undergrad Abt seeing the Andromeda Galaxy with the naked eye in future
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
2K
High School Will we ever communicate with extraterrestial life in a reasonable time frame?
  • · Replies 148 ·
5
Replies
148
Views
12K
High School Why does the Andromeda galaxy appear so tiny from our perspective?
  • · Replies 81 ·
3
Replies
81
Views
16K
High School Neutron star 4U 1820-30 spins at 716 revolutions per second
  • · Replies 0 ·
Replies
0
Views
3K