How long have we known about our place in the universe? When were the galaxies discovered?

Our understanding of our place in the universe has evolved over thousands of years. Ancient civilizations had various cosmological models to explain the structure of the universe and our place in it. However, the scientific understanding of our place in the universe started to take shape in the 16th century.

1. Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543): He was the first to propose a heliocentric model of the universe where the Earth and other planets revolve around the Sun. This was a significant shift from the earlier geocentric model where the Earth was considered the center of the universe.

2. Galileo Galilei (1564-1642): He made significant contributions to observational astronomy. He observed the moons of Jupiter, which provided support for the Copernican model.

3. Edwin Hubble (1889-1953): He made one of the most significant discoveries that shaped our understanding of the universe. In the 1920s, Hubble discovered that there are other galaxies beyond the Milky Way. He also found that these galaxies are moving away from us, which led to the understanding that the universe is expanding.

So, in terms of when we discovered the galaxies, it was in the 1920s thanks to Edwin Hubble. However, our understanding of our place in the universe has been evolving for thousands of years and continues to evolve as we make new discoveries.