What specific limitation caused Galileo to see only a handful of stars when observing the Pleiades cluster?

Answer

Optical defects blurred the faint light across the tiny field of view (fidelity)

The issue was not one of sensitivity (light gathering) but fidelity; optical defects blurred the faint light of distant stars across the tiny field of view.

What specific limitation caused Galileo to see only a handful of stars when observing the Pleiades cluster?

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