Many of the astronomers who deserve credit for discovering the vastness of the cosmos are now largely forgotten (Image: Pantheon)
IN THE continuing story of humanity’s efforts to discover its place in the cosmos, few chapters are more compelling than the turbulent decades between 1900 and 1930. It was during these pivotal years that we came to understand – after many false starts and wrong turns – the true size of the universe.
At the heart of meticulously researched book are the faint spiral structures seen in the night sky, which were at first called “spiral nebulae” and believed…
