Firsts
| First | Galaxy | Date | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First galaxy | Milky Way Galaxy & Andromeda Galaxy | 1923 | Edwin Hubble determined the distance to the Andromeda Nebula, and found that it could not be part of the Milky Way, so defining that Milky Way was not the entire universe, and making the two separate objects, and two galaxies. However, the first galaxies seen would be all of the naked-eye galaxies, but they were not identified as such until the 20th century. | |
| First radio galaxy | Cygnus A | 1952 | Of several items, then called radio stars, Cygnus A was identified with a distant galaxy, being the first of many radio stars to become a radio galaxy. | |
| First quasar | 3C273 3C48 |
1962 1960 |
3C273 was the first quasar with its redshift determined, and by some considered the first quasar. 3C48 was the first "radio-star" with an unreadable spectrum, and by others considered the first quasar. | |
| First Seyfert galaxy | NGC 1068 (M77) | 1908 | The characteristics of Seyfert galaxies were first observed in M77 in 1908, however, Seyferts were defined as a class in 1943. | |
| First low surface brightness galaxy | Malin 1 | 1986 | Malin 1 was the first verified LSB galaxy. LSB galaxies had been first theorized in 1976. | |
| First radio galaxy | Cygnus A | 1951 | ||
| First discovered object, later identified to be a cannibalized galaxy | Omega Centauri | Omega Centauri is considered the core of a disrupted dwarf spheroidal galaxy cannibalized by the Milky Way, and was originally catalogued in 1677 as a nebula. It is currently catalogued as a globular cluster. | ||
| First superluminal galactic jet | 3C279 | 1971 | The jet is emitted by a quasar | |
| First superluminal jet from a Seyfert | III Zw 2 | 2000 | ||
| First spiral galaxy | Whirlpool Galaxy | 1845 | Lord William Parsons, Earl of Rosse discovered the first spiral nebula from observing the M51 white nebula. |
Read more about this topic: List Of Galaxies