Final answer:
We cannot see stars in other galaxies because they are too far away for individual stars to be resolved with the human eye. We experience our own Milky Way galaxy from within, so we can see individual stars, while other galaxies appear as faint glows.
Step-by-step explanation:
When we gaze at the night sky, all the stars we can see with eyes belong to our own Milky Way galaxy. The reason we cannot see stars in other galaxies is due to their immense distances from us. Other galaxies are so far away that their stars appear merged into faint glows, not as distinct points of light as the stars in the Milky Way. Unlike our position within the Milky Way which allows us to see individual stars, our perspective of other galaxies is as if we were viewing them from the outside, and we lack the resolution to distinguish their stars without powerful telescopes.
The Milky Way itself is a grand spiral galaxy comprised of hundreds of billions of stars, dust, and gas. Located within one of its spiral arms, our view of the Milky Way is a beautiful cross-section that appears as a milky band scattered with dark rifts across the sky. Our solar system is settled on the outer edges of this galaxy, which makes it challenging for us to map out the entire structure, akin to trying to map out New York City while standing in Times Square.