Shapley correctly argued that the rotation of the spiral nebulae proved they could not be verydistant.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Shapley actually argued the opposite - that the sheer size and brightness of the spiral nebulae indicated they were very distant. It was actually Edwin Hubble who used observations of the rotation of spiral nebulae to prove they were far beyond the Milky Way, and thus were other galaxies in their own right. This statement is false. Shapley actually believed that the spiral nebulae were relatively close, but later observations and measurements showed that they were actually very far away, and were in fact entire galaxies outside our own Milky Way.

Shapley Correctly Argued That the Rotation of the Spiral Nebulae