Black and white photo of the Andromeda galaxy. Spiral arms and dust lanes are clearly visible in this old photo, even though it lacks the resolution of modern images.

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1. Robert McNees (mcnees@mastodon.social)'s status on Tuesday, 20-Feb-2024 14:22:34 UTC Robert McNees

   Edwin Hubble sent a letter to Harlow Shapley OTD in 1924, describing data that placed the Andromeda Nebula outside our Milky Way.

   Shapley had long argued such objects must be inside our galaxy. He received the letter while meeting with Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin in his office. After reading Hubble's message, he folded the letter, turned to his colleague, and said “Here is the letter that destroyed my universe.”