What Hubble really meant by late and early type: simply more or less complex in appearance

Abstract

It is widely written and believed that Edwin Hubble introduced the terms `early' and `late types' to suggest an evolutionary sequence for galaxies. This is incorrect. Hubble took these terms from spectral classification of stars to signify a sequence related to complexity of appearance, albeit based on images rather than spectra. The temporal connotations of the terms had been abandoned prior to his 1926 paper on classification of galaxies.

arXiv comment3 pages, 2 figures, using MNRAS style file; to appear in different style in RAS journal Astronomy & Geophysics (A&G), scheduled for October 2008 issue, A&G journal page is at http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=1366-8781

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