If there are about 6000 stars in the entire sky that can be seen by the unaided human eye, about how many stars would be seen at a particular instant on a given dark night from a single location with an uninterrupted distant horizon?
A) 3000
B) 6000
C) only a small fraction of the 6000, say 1000, because the rest are hidden by the Earth
D) It depends on the observer's latitude; observers at the poles will see 6000, while equatorial observers will see only one-half of this number, or 3000.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

At any given moment, from a single location, you can only see about half of the sky due to the Earth obstructing the other half. Therefore, approximately 3000 stars would be visible.

If There Are About 6000 Stars in the Entire Sky