Our Best Friend, The Coma Cluster (A Historical Review)

Abstract

In this paper I describe how our knowledge and understanding of the properties and structure of the Coma cluster of galaxies has evolved through the years, since early this century, when the first maps of the density of nebulae in the Coma region were produced, and until the present time. It is shown that most of the recent discoveries that have led to a change in our view of this cluster, were in fact anticipated very early on.