<p>Your question is not very well defined since you don't say what observational properties you wish to compare. From your emphasis on distance, I assume that you want to compare the visual appearance of elliptical galaxies with globular clusters of the <em>same angular extent</em> on the sky.</p>

<p>In which case ellipticals and globulars are easily distinguishable with the aid of a telescope (I assume you do not mean naked eye objects, since the nature of globular clusters is pretty difficult to make out with the naked eye, but if you do mean that then of course most smudges on the sky are indistinguishable with the naked eye). The reason for this is that true elliptical galaxies contain factors of $\sim 10^4$ more stars than even the most massive globular clusters and are about 100 times the physical diameter. Thus, if they had the same angular extent, an elliptical galaxy be $\sim 100$ times further away, would look much smoother and less grainy than a globular cluster, because it contains $10^4$ times more stars per unit area, but would have around the same surface brightness.</p>

<p>Of course there are such things as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwarf_spheroidal_galaxy" rel="nofollow noreferrer">dwarf spheroidal galaxies</a>, but here the problem is the other way around. They have about the same number of stars as globular clusters, but have diameters a factor of 100 larger. Thus if they had the same angular extent they would look similar to a globular cluster in terms of "graininess", but since they would be 100 times further away, they would be $10^4$ times fainter!</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-06T01:16:33.270Z
2017-11-06T01:16:33.270Z
ProfRob
<p>It would look as shown below.<a href="https://i.sstatic.net/vBY7j.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/vBY7j.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a>
<a href="https://i.sstatic.net/VibNy.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/VibNy.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a>And yes it would resemble a globular cluster except the stars move differently. Elliptical galaxies have an approximately ellipsoidal shape. Globular clusters are often associated with galaxies. The Milkey Way contains over 150 identified globular clusters. Shown below are globular clusters. 
<a href="https://i.sstatic.net/WxDhn.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/WxDhn.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a>   <a href="https://i.sstatic.net/oQqfi.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/oQqfi.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-06T01:02:24.750Z
The pictures you have used illustrate that your answer is incorrect. The globular clusters could not be mistaken for the elliptical galaxies you have chosen to show.
ProfRob
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-05T03:01:39.863Z
2017-11-05T13:19:23.063Z
2017-11-05T13:19:23.063Z
Natsfan
<p>If we got close enough to an elliptical galaxy would it look similar to a globular cluster?</p>

<galaxy>
Do elliptical galaxies look similar to globular clusters?
rdinardo
# Do elliptical galaxies look similar to globular clusters?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-11-04)

If we got close enough to an elliptical galaxy would it look similar to a globular cluster?

**Tags:** galaxy


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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2017-11-06. Score: 1

Your question is not very well defined since you don't say what observational properties you wish to compare. From your emphasis on distance, I assume that you want to compare the visual appearance of elliptical galaxies with globular clusters of the *same angular extent* on the sky.

In which case ellipticals and globulars are easily distinguishable with the aid of a telescope (I assume you do not mean naked eye objects, since the nature of globular clusters is pretty difficult to make out with the naked eye, but if you do mean that then of course most smudges on the sky are indistinguishable with the naked eye). The reason for this is that true elliptical galaxies contain factors of $\sim 10^4$ more stars than even the most massive globular clusters and are about 100 times the physical diameter. Thus, if they had the same angular extent, an elliptical galaxy be $\sim 100$ times further away, would look much smoother and less grainy than a globular cluster, because it contains $10^4$ times more stars per unit area, but would have around the same surface brightness.

Of course there are such things as [dwarf spheroidal galaxies](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwarf_spheroidal_galaxy), but here the problem is the other way around. They have about the same number of stars as globular clusters, but have diameters a factor of 100 larger. Thus if they had the same angular extent they would look similar to a globular cluster in terms of "graininess", but since they would be 100 times further away, they would be $10^4$ times fainter!


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### Answer by username_2 on 2017-11-05. Score: 0

It would look as shown below.[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/vBY7j.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/vBY7j.jpg)
[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/VibNy.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/VibNy.jpg)And yes it would resemble a globular cluster except the stars move differently. Elliptical galaxies have an approximately ellipsoidal shape. Globular clusters are often associated with galaxies. The Milkey Way contains over 150 identified globular clusters. Shown below are globular clusters.
[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/WxDhn.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/WxDhn.jpg) [![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/oQqfi.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/oQqfi.jpg)

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: The pictures you have used illustrate that your answer is incorrect. The globular clusters could not be mistaken for the elliptical galaxies you have chosen to show.  

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