On this night in science
Charles Messier spots the Whirlpool Galaxy
October 13, 1773
On this night in 1773, the French astronomer Charles Messier saw a faint, fuzzy smudge in the sky and added it to his list as number fifty-one. Much bigger telescopes later showed what it really is: a whole galaxy of stars, swirling like a whirlpool.
Why it mattered
Messier kept a list of fuzzy lights that weren't comets, so comet hunters wouldn't be fooled. Stargazers still use his list today.
Wonder together
We live inside a galaxy too. What do you think ours would look like from far away?