look to the naked eye

look to the naked eye

1. To be perceived by normal vision that has not been enhanced or augmented in any way. Used especially in reference to that which looks different when viewed with the aid some kind of mechanical enhancement. The planets look to the naked eye as twinkling specks of light, just like the stars around them. But when viewed through powerful enough telescopes, you can actually make out a remarkable amount of detail.
2. To be perceived or understood in a particular manner upon first being seen or considered. The code looks to the naked eye to be a random sequence of letters, digits, and symbols. However, it is a very specific and carefully crafted combination the indicates important information about the experiment.
See also: eye, look, naked, to
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
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References in periodicals archive ?
The electron microscope revealed that the Blue Morpho's wings aren't as smooth as they look to the naked eye. Instead, the surface texture resembles a clapboard roof with rows of overlapping shingles radiating out from the butterfly's body, suggesting that water and dirt roll off the wings "like water off a roof," Bhushan said.
Butterfly wings and rice leaves could inspire high-tech surfaces
The whole spectacle would look to the naked eye much like the Great Andromeda Galaxy looks to us through a 5.5-inch rich-field telescope at 20 power, or through 20 x 140 binoculars.
From a galaxy far, far away ..
How would a galaxy or nebula actually look to the naked eye from close up?--Tom Grems, Estherville, IA
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Clearly, no chart of this type can really show how the absolute-magnitude sky would look to the naked eye. For the SC006 I felt it best to include only those stars actually plotted on a preexisting companion chart, the SC001.
The absolute magnitudes of stars
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