Tuhia he haere tonu mō tēnei wāhanga - Ko te kitenga a Hubble o ngā whetū rerekē tekau mā tahi o Cepheid he tohu nui i roto i te mātauranga whetū. Mā te whakamahi i te pātahitanga o te wā Cepheid-Luminosity, i whakatau a Hubble i tētahi tawhiti o. Koinei te pūnaha tuatahi i tua atu i ngā Kapua o Magellanic kia whakaritea tōna tawhiti. (I haere tonu a Hubble i tēnei tukanga ki te Andromeda Galaxy me te Triangulum Galaxy). Ko tōna tawhiti ki te aorangi he tawhiti atu i te uara a Harlow Shapley o te 300,000 tau-marama mō te rahi o te ao nui. I roto i te pepa, ka mutu a Hubble i te "Takahanga Nui
" o 1920 i waenganui i Heber Curtis ko Shapley i runga i te tauine o te ao me te āhua o te "nebula miro". Kāore i roa ka mārama ko ngā pūngāwerewere katoa he whetū whetū kei waho atu i tō tātou ake Milky Way.