Final answer:
The night sky appears infinite, but our vision is limited to about 9000 stars. Telescopes help us see beyond our visual limitations, and Olbers's paradox challenges the notion of an infinitely bright night sky, which is resolved by the universe's evolving nature and finite age.
Step-by-step explanation:
When we gaze out into the night sky, it may appear infinite, but this perception is not entirely accurate. The universe seems boundless to our eyes, but in reality, we can only see about 9000 stars unaided from Earth due to the limitations of human vision and the vast distances involved. To see the objects our eyes cannot detect, we rely on telescopes and other astronomical instruments that can capture the faint light from distant celestial bodies.
Olbers's paradox provides an interesting context for our view of the universe. It suggests that if the universe were infinitely old and uniformly populated with stars, the night sky should be ablaze with light. However, because the universe is not infinite and is expanding, many stars are so distant that their light has not reached us, and some may have ceased to exist, leading to the dark night sky we observe.
Understanding that when we look out into space we are essentially looking back in time, as we see stars and galaxies as they were when the light left them, often millions or billions of years ago. This notion of a composite of different periods of time adds to the complexity of our cosmic view. Scientists continue to study the universe's evolution to better understand our place within it and the nature of the cosmos.