Sunday Reflection: "We Measure Shadows"

 

"With increasing distance, our knowledge fades, and fades rapidly. Eventually, we reach the dim boundary-the utmost limits of our telescopes. There, we measure shadows, and we search among ghostly errors of measurement for landmarks that are scarcely more substantial." -- astronomer Edwin Hubble, in his "The Realm of the Nebulae" (1936).

On March 8, 1934, Hubble, using Mount Wilson observatory's powerful Hooker telescope, demonstrated that the universe consisted of as many galaxies as stars in the Milky Way galaxy.  Previously, the assumption among most astronomers was that the universe was limited to our own Milky Way galaxy. In that discovery, Hubble exponentially increased the knowledge of the universe to other astronomers through a galaxy classification system, measuring the distance to galaxies and laws governing  galactic movement. 

(photo: historic image of Hubble's view through the telescope taken on March 8, 1934)

 

Sunday Reflection

"Eventually, we reach the utmost limits of our telescopes. There, we measure shadows and search among ghostly errors of measurement for landmarks that are scarcely more substantial." -- Astronomer Edwin Hubble (11/20/1889 - 9/28/1963), from The Realm of the Nebulae (1936). Hubble was a tremendously influential figure in astronomy with his proof of other galaxies beyond our own, and his "Hubble's Law," which demonstrated that the universe is expanding. The telescope named after him has allowed astronomers to further understand the origin and nature of the universe.

(photo: Johan Hagemeyer / Public Domain; background: Hubble image of NGC 2174 - NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team)

 

Sunday Reflection: Dreamy Realms Of Speculation

 

“With increasing distance, our knowledge fades, and fades rapidly. Eventually, we reach the dim boundary—the utmost limits of our telescopes. There, we measure shadows, and we search among ghostly errors of measurement for landmarks that are scarcely more substantial. The search will continue. Not until the empirical resources are exhausted, need we pass on to the dreamy realms of speculation.” ― American astronomer Edwin Powell Hubble, from his book "The Realm of the Nebulae", 1936. Hubble was one of the most respected astronomers of his time, identifying galaxies beyond our Milky Way previously thought to be dust and gas clouds. He also provided evidence that the universe is expanding through his "Hubble's Law" in 1929. In recognition of his achievements in astrophysics, the Hubble Space Telescope, launched in 1990, was named in his honor, and continues to provide awe-inspiring photographs of distant galaxies, as we often show in our Sunday "Across The Universe" postings.

(photo: Hubble at the Mt. Wilson Observatory, Carnegie Institution of Washington)