Max Wolf - Dark Nebulae

One of the many significant contributions Wolf made was in the determination of the nature of dark nebulae. These areas of the sky, thought since William Herschel's time to be "holes in the sky", were a puzzle to astronomers. In these areas no stars could be seen, only featureless black. In collaboration with E. E. Barnard, he proved, by careful photographic analysis, that these dark nebulae were actually huge clouds of fine opaque dust.

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Famous quotes containing the word dark:

    “I remember, I remember
    The fir trees dark and high;
    I used to think their slender tops
    Were close against the sky;
    It was a childish ignorance,
    But now ‘tis little joy
    To know I’m further off from Heaven
    Than when I was a boy.”
    —Thomas Hood (1799–1845)