[boxed]

> In Rubin’s first year alone, scientists expect the observatory to find 1 million undiscovered asteroids — as many as have been documented in the previous 200 years of human history — as well as thousands of comets and billions of stars and galaxies.

Why stop at 200 years? It's also 300 years and 400 years, or 4 billion years :P

[SiempreViernes]

The first asteroid was discovered in 1801, so going back 300 years and doing the count is pointless.

[dredmorbius]

The term "asteroid" itself was coined in 1802, probably by William Herschel:

<https://www.etymonline.com/word/asteroid>.

There not having been a need for it before.

[thrownthatway]

When did old mate first point a telescope in to the night sky?

[embedding-shape]

Purely guessing based on knowing Galileo eventually did so, maybe around 400 years ago?