Often called a "pioneer of the distant stars", astronomer Edwin Hubble (1889–1953) played a pivotal role in deciphering the vast and complex nature of the universe. His meticulous studies of spiral nebulae proved the existence of galaxies other than our own Milky Way.

Jan 17, 2025 · Shapley's goal was to measure the size of the Milky Way — and hence the universe as he saw it — by creating the first official cosmic distance ladder.

3 days ago · When Edwin Hubble arrived at Mount Wilson Observatory in California, the massive Hooker telescope was at his disposal. That powerful instrument gave him a way to spot individual stars in the Andromeda “nebula.” Working closely with his colleague Milton Humason, Hubble recorded a Cepheid variable in that distant patch of light. This signaled ...

Oct 4, 2023 · Like the Hubble Space Telescope, Edwin Hubble’s discoveries transformed the frontier of scientific knowledge. His work took us beyond the Milky Way and placed us in an ever-expanding universe with a myriad of galaxies beyond our own.

Dec 26, 2024 · At Mount Wilson, Hubble initially studied reflection nebulae within the Milky Way. However, soon he returned to the problem of the so-called spiral nebulae, objects he had investigated for his doctorate. The status of the spirals (as …

Jan 27, 2025 · A century ago, Edwin Hubble determined that the Andromeda nebula was nearly a million light years away, proving it was not part of the Milky Way and confirming the existence of other galaxies.

Jan 15, 2025 · Many astronomers long believed that the edge of the Milky Way marked the edge of the entire universe. But Hubble determined that V1, located inside the Andromeda "nebula," was at a distance that far exceeded anything in our own Milky Way galaxy. This led Hubble to the jaw-dropping realization that the universe extends far beyond our own galaxy.

Aug 12, 2012 · Hubble soon met his greatest scientific rival, Harlow Shapley, who had made his reputation measuring the size of the Milky Way, our own galaxy. Shapley, like most astronomers of the time, thought that the Milky Way was the entire Universe.

Jan 16, 2025 · A century ago, Edwin Hubble first established that this so-called “spiral nebula” was actually very far outside our own Milky Way galaxy — at a distance of approximately 2.5 million light-years or roughly 25 Milky Way diameters. Prior to that, astronomers had long thought that the Milky way encompassed the entire universe.

Jan 24, 2025 · It seemed that these redshifted galaxies were all moving away from the Milky Way. Hubble’s results suggested the farther away a galaxy was, the faster it was moving away from Earth.