Universe: Stars And Galaxies
Universe: Stars And Galaxies
6th Edition
ISBN: 9781319115098
Author: Roger Freedman, Robert Geller, William J. Kaufmann
Publisher: W. H. Freeman
bartleby

Concept explainers

Question
Book Icon
Chapter 23, Problem 1Q
To determine

The reason the astronomers in the nineteenth-century thought that the“spiral nebulae” are a part of the Milky Way.

Expert Solution & Answer
Check Mark

Explanation of Solution

Introduction:

Spiral nebulas have a very different shape when compared with other nebulas. Our Milky Way itself is a spiral galaxy with arching spiral arms that are active sites of star formation. Other nebulae are ellipse-shaped agglomerations of stars. Most galaxies are located as groups or clusters.

In 1755, the German philosopher Immanuel Kant suggested that vast collections of stars lie outside the confines of the Milky Way and introduced the concept of “island universes”. Many nineteenth-century astronomers who believed the concept of “island universe” think that the “spiral nebulae” are part of the Milky Way because they are relatively small and they look like nearby objects scattered around our galaxy like globular clusters.

Want to see more full solutions like this?

Subscribe now to access step-by-step solutions to millions of textbook problems written by subject matter experts!
Students have asked these similar questions
Astronomers estimate the mass of the stars in a certain galaxy to be about 3.040 kg, and the total mass of this galaxy to be about 1.241 kg. The amount of the galaxy's mass is made up of dark matter is percent
Knowledge Booster
Background pattern image
Physics
Learn more about
Need a deep-dive on the concept behind this application? Look no further. Learn more about this topic, physics and related others by exploring similar questions and additional content below.
Recommended textbooks for you
Text book image
Stars and Galaxies (MindTap Course List)
Physics
ISBN:9781337399944
Author:Michael A. Seeds
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Text book image
Foundations of Astronomy (MindTap Course List)
Physics
ISBN:9781337399920
Author:Michael A. Seeds, Dana Backman
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Text book image
Stars and Galaxies
Physics
ISBN:9781305120785
Author:Michael A. Seeds, Dana Backman
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Text book image
Astronomy
Physics
ISBN:9781938168284
Author:Andrew Fraknoi; David Morrison; Sidney C. Wolff
Publisher:OpenStax