Monday, August 12, 2019
Biography of Edwin Powell Hubble:
Edwin Powell Hubble was an American astronomer who played a crucial role in establishing the field of extragalactic astronomy and is generally regarded as the leading observational cosmologist of the 20th century. He was born on November 20, 1889, in Marshfield, Missouri, and died on September 28, 1953.
Hubble initially studied law but later switched to astronomy in graduate school. He received his Ph.D. in 1917 and went on to make several notable research and discoveries in the field of astronomy. Hubble is best known for his discovery of the expanding universe, which he observed through the redshift of light from distant galaxies. He also discovered that many objects previously thought to be clouds of dust and gas and classified as “nebulae” were actually galaxies beyond the Milky Way.
Hubble’s work has been recognized with several awards and honors, including the Bruce Medal in 1938 and the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1940. The Hubble Space Telescope, launched in 1990, was named after him in recognition of his contributions to the field of astronomy.
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| Biography of Edwin Powell Hubble |
Brief biography of Edwin Hubble:
Edwin Powell Hubble (1889–1953) was an American astronomer who played a crucial role in the field of observational cosmology. His observations and discoveries provided key evidence for the expanding universe and the concept of galaxies beyond our Milky Way.
Here is a brief biography of Edwin Hubble:
Early Life:
Birth: Edwin Hubble was born on November 20, 1889, in Marshfield, Missouri, USA.
Education: He earned his bachelor's degree in mathematics and astronomy from the University of Chicago in 1910. Later, he studied law at the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar.
Edwin Powell Hubble's Military Service:
Hubble served in the United States Army during World War I, reaching the rank of major.
Astronomical Career:
After the war, Hubble returned to astronomy and earned his Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of Chicago in 1917.
In the 1920s, he began working at the Mount Wilson Observatory in California, where he had access to the world's most powerful telescope at the time.
Key Discoveries of Edwin Powell Hubble:
1. Galaxies Beyond the Milky Way:
- Hubble's most significant contribution was the demonstration that the fuzzy patches observed in the night sky, previously thought to be nebulae within our Milky Way, were actually separate galaxies located far beyond our galaxy.
- This discovery fundamentally changed our understanding of the universe's size and structure.
2. Redshift and the Expanding Universe:
- Hubble observed that galaxies were moving away from us, and their light was shifted toward the red end of the spectrum (redshift).
- This redshift indicated that galaxies were receding from each other, providing evidence for the expansion of the universe.
- Hubble formulated Hubble's law, which states that the velocity of recession of a galaxy is directly proportional to its distance from an observer.
Later Career:
Hubble continued his astronomical work and became a prominent figure in the scientific community.
He played a key role in the establishment of the Palomar Observatory, which housed the Hale Telescope, one of the largest optical telescopes of its time.
Honors and Recognition:
Edwin Hubble received numerous awards and honors for his contributions to astronomy, including the Bruce Medal in 1938, the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1940, and the Medal of Merit from the U.S. government in 1946.
Death of Edwin Powell Hubble:
Edwin Hubble passed away on September 28, 1953, in San Marino, California, USA.
Legacy:
The Hubble Space Telescope, launched in 1990, was named in honor of Edwin Hubble. It has provided invaluable images and data for astronomers and continues to contribute to our understanding of the universe.
The Hubble constant, a measure of the rate of expansion of the universe, is named after him.
Edwin Hubble's groundbreaking discoveries reshaped cosmology, and his work laid the foundation for the Big Bang theory and our current understanding of the large-scale structure of the universe.