Why didn't astronomers at the beginning of the 20th century recognize galaxies for what they are?

Question

Why didn't astronomers at the beginning of the 20th century recognize galaxies for what they are?

Answer 1

Well, they didn't know that they were other galaxies,  because they thought they were nebulae. Through a telescope, they look similar.

Answer 2

Heathen is correct -

They did not know that there was anything beyond the structure of our own Milky Way Galaxy. They thought that the galaxies were nebulae, which are dust and gas clouds that are embedded within our own galaxy (like the Orion Nebula).

Once they got some decent photographs through the big scopes, they realized that the galaxies were actually separate systems ( they called them "island universes") floating in the dim distance well beyond our own galaxy. The perception of the size of the universe immediately increased by a factor of 100 or so.

Answer 3

it was a conspiracy

Answer 4

In small telescopes,the galaxy looks like a cloud of gas and dust. To seperate the stars  the telescope needs resolving power. That means we must see the strs seperately.It was acheived after 100 inch telescope was put into service.

Answer 5

bcuz their telesscopes were too wimpy.

look at galaxsees in a telesscope yourself. do you see stars? no. they just look like funny-shaped nebulae.

Answer 6

The big telescope on Mount Wilson did have something to do with it but it took more than a good view. The usefulness of a bigger scope was it's ability to resolve individual stars. BUT that did not , in itself, tell us how far away those stars were.

The janitor- turned astronomer discovered a variable star and Edwin Hubble ran with that, discovering that he could use variables  to calculate distances. Without Hubble's genius those stars would still be thought of as within our galaxy. It was only until Hubble realized just how far away they were that we knew they could not be.

http://filer.case.edu/sjr16/20th_people_...