What made assigning a single "first" finder of a nebula historically complicated?
Answer
The term "nebula" evolved from a catch-all term for fuzzy patches to represent radically different cosmic phenomena.
The concept of 'nebula' changed significantly over time, making the definition of 'discovery' dependent on whether one meant seeing a smudge, documenting a new smudge, or recognizing a specific physical structure.
Related Questions
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