Connections Puzzle #328 Sat 4 May
Quizzes & Puzzles22 mins ago
Curious
Which is the farthest star that can be seen from the earth , with the naked eye - how far away is it ?
Which is the farthest star from the earth that we know about and how far away is it ?
Which is the farthest star from the earth that we know about and how far away is it ?
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Yes, but that doesn't actually answer the question as posed - a galaxy is a very different animal from a star. The Milky Way, our own, contains about 400 billion stars. From 2.5 million light years away, you probably wouldn't see more than the very biggest stars individually with the naked eye. Unfortunately my knowledge ends there, and I can't give an answer to the question! But I suspect it is one of those answers that is highly variable, depending on the viewer's eyesight, the viewing conditions, and light pollution locally.
The farthest star from the Earth is probably the same as the farthest galaxy we have so far managed to see with the most advanced equipment now available. I believe that puts it at about 12 or 13 billion light years (about 98% of the way to the edge of the known universe), but again, that wouldn't mean we can see individual stars, only hazy points of light, which are as much definition as we can get at these colossal distances. Remember what it says in the Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy: 'Space is big, very big - you just wouldn't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is, I mean, you may think it's a long way down the street to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts compared to space, listen...' (with acknowledgements to Douglas Adams - R.I.P.)
The farthest star from the Earth is probably the same as the farthest galaxy we have so far managed to see with the most advanced equipment now available. I believe that puts it at about 12 or 13 billion light years (about 98% of the way to the edge of the known universe), but again, that wouldn't mean we can see individual stars, only hazy points of light, which are as much definition as we can get at these colossal distances. Remember what it says in the Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy: 'Space is big, very big - you just wouldn't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is, I mean, you may think it's a long way down the street to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts compared to space, listen...' (with acknowledgements to Douglas Adams - R.I.P.)
Here's a similar question asked in astronomy forum :
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