How many galaxies are visible to the naked eye?

Five thousand? Two million? Ten billion?
The answer is four—although from where you are sitting, you can only see two; and one of those is the
Milky Way (the one we’re in).
Given that there are estimated to be more than 100 billion galaxies in the universe, each containing
between 10 and 100 billion stars, it’s a bit disappointing. In total, only four galaxies are visible from earth
with the naked eye, only half of which can be seen at once (two from each hemisphere). In the Northern
Hemisphere, you can see the Milky Way and Andromeda (M31), while in the Southern Hemisphere you
can see the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds.
Some people with exceptional eyesight claim to be able to see three more—M33 in Triangulum, M81 in
Ursa Major, and M83 in Hydra—but it’s very hard to prove.
The number of stars supposedly visible to the naked eye varies wildly, but everyone agrees that the total
is substantially less than 10,000. Most amateur-astronomy computer software uses the same database: it
lists 9,600 stars as “naked-eye visible.” But no one really believes this figure. Other estimates vary from
around 8,000 down to fewer than 3,000.
It used to be said that there were more cinemas (around 5,200) in the former Soviet Union than there
are stars visible in the night sky.
At the Canadian website www.starregistry.ca you can have a star named after yourself or a friend for
$98 CDN (or $175 CDN with a framed certificate). They list 2,873 stars as being visible to the naked
eye. None of these are available, as they already have historical or scientific names.