Abstract
Two hundred years ago it became apparent to astronomers that other objects besides planets, stars and an occasional comet, were observable in the sky. Because of their hazy appearance, these objects were called nebulae (latin for ‘clouds’). The French astronomer Charles Messier (1730–1817) was motivated to make a catalogue of these nebulous objects, in order to avoid confusion in his search for comets. His catalogue contained 103 entries and was published in 1784. An earlier version listing 45 objects had already been published in 1771.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Whitney, C.A. 1971, The Discovery of Our Galaxy ( Knopf, New York).
Macpherson, H. 1933, Makers of Astronomy ( University Press, Oxford).
Gingerich, O. 1953, Sky and Telescope 12, 255; 13, 257.
Lick Obs. Publ., Vol. XIII, 1918
Curtis, H.B. (p. 57) and Campbell, W.W. and Moore, J.H. (p. 77)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1984 D. Reidel Publishing Company, Dordrecht, Holland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Pottasch, S.R. (1984). History, Morphology and Evolution. In: Planetary Nebulae. Astrophysics and Space Science Library, vol 107. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-7233-9_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-7233-9_1
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-009-7235-3
Online ISBN: 978-94-009-7233-9
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive