How do we have the equipment to picture and see cosmos and stars millions of light years away, but can’t just zoom-in to examine and view the surfaces of our interplanetary planets in the solar system?
In: Physics
Here’s [Andromeda galaxy from earth](https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rSOshtvq0MA/UsYIfoBuzDI/AAAAAAAANLg/lxJyCNHHcAI/s640/andromeda+if+visible.jpg), actual size/scale, just added brightness. Here’s a [bunch of planets from Earth](https://thumbor.forbes.com/thumbor/960×0/https%3A%2F%2Fblogs-images.forbes.com%2Fstartswithabang%2Ffiles%2F2017%2F04%2F4111f2d8bf9afe777d5d5dd1cb288e10.jpg) in a night sky photograph.
The planets in our solar system are much closer, but they’re also smaller by an even greater factor than they are closer. Therefore they are even smaller in the sky from earth than the cosmic objects that we *can* image. The limit in both cases is resolution, and there’s no contradiction.
Your question is : “if we can take a picture of the big thing, why can’t we take a picture of the small thing?” Answer: because they are smaller.
Yes planets are dimmer than stars, but you can see those planets in the night sky with your eyes, and you can’t see Andromeda. Brightness isn’t the limiting factor, resolution is.
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