The first attempt to map the Galaxy via star counts was done by:
A)Galileo in 1612.
B)William Herschel in the late eighteenth century.
C)Edward Barnard with long exposure photos about 1900.
D)Harlow Shapley with the RR Lyrae variables in 1920.
E)Edwin Hubble with the new 100" Mt. Wilson telescope in the 1930s.

Question

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William Herschel attempted to map the Galaxy via star counts in the late eighteenth century. The first attempt to map the Galaxy via star counts was done by William Herschel in the late eighteenth century. He conducted a systematic survey of stars using a homemade telescope and observed that the Milky Way appeared to be a flattened disc with a central bulge. His observations paved the way for future efforts to map and understand the structure of our Galaxy.

The First Attempt to Map the Galaxy Via Star Counts