A Short Biography of the Astronomer Edwin Hubble: Discoverer of Galaxies

by Doug West

Edwin Hubble was a man ahead of his time. For him, only astronomy really mattered. He took advantage of the opportunity given to him to use the most advanced telescope of his time to determine the truth behind the most distant clouds of light visible to Earth-based observers.-- His determination that the universe is expanding served as the foundation for the Big Bang Theory, which proposes that the entire universe started as an intense energy bust occurring at a single moment of time. He made observations and drew intelligent assumptions from it.-- In the process, he founded a new discipline that has now contributed much to our knowledge the forces and the nature of matter that make up the universe.-- Hubble’s work offered evidence that changed humankind’s perception of the universe. The impact of his declaration that the galaxies are hurtling away from each other, and that the space between them is expanding as time goes by can be felt until now.-- Proponents of the Big Bang Theory used Hubble’s observations in setting down their basic assumptions. Modern astrophysicists theorize that as a consequence of this expansion, it is possible that at a certain point, this instability will lead to a reversal of the expansion and the universe itself will end in a Big Crunch.--Another theory presents the possibility of an unending expansion that will also lead to the death of the universe due to cooling and distension. In “A Brief History of Time,” Stephen Hawking, the preeminent British astrophysicist stated that Hubble’s discovery of the expanding universe was “one of the great intellectual revolutions of the 20th century.”

52 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 22, 2015

About the author

Doug West is a retired engineer, small business owner, and an experienced non-fiction writer of the 30 Minute Book Series. His writing interests lean towards science, biographies and history. Doug has a B.S. in Physics from the Missouri School of Science and Technology and a Ph.D. in General Engineering from Oklahoma State University. He has also completed additional graduate studies in Astrophysics at Wichita State University. He lives with his wife and spoiled dog "Millie" near Kansas City, Missouri.

Reviews

[F S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable and educational!