When you think of Hubble, the iconic Hubble Space Telescope likely comes to mind—a groundbreaking instrument that has revolutionised our understanding of the cosmos since its launch in 1990. Named after Edwin Hubble, one of the greatest astronomers of the 20th century, the telescope embodies his pioneering spirit and transformative contributions to astronomy.
Born in 1889 in Marshfield, Missouri, Edwin Hubble fundamentally changed our view of the universe by proving the existence of galaxies beyond the Milky Way and demonstrating that the universe is expanding—a discovery that forms the cornerstone of modern cosmology.
At the Mount Wilson Observatory, Hubble used the 100-inch Hooker Telescope to uncover the secrets of distant galaxies and laid the foundation for the Big Bang Theory. Today, his legacy endures, inspiring exploration through the telescope that proudly bears his name.

Edwin Hubble’s journey: From law to astronomy

Born on November 20, 1889, in Marshfield, Missouri, Hubble grew up excelling in both academics and athletics. Despite his passion for science, he initially followed his father’s wishes, earning a law degree from the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar.
However, after his father’s passing in 1913, Hubble returned to his true calling. He earned a Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of Chicago in 1917. After serving in World War I, Hubble began working at the Mount Wilson Observatory, home to the world’s largest telescope at the time. This marked the start of a career that would forever redefine humanity’s understanding of the cosmos.

Edwin Hubble discovered a universe beyond Milky Way

In 1919, Hubble joined the Mount Wilson Observatory in California. Using the 100-inch Hooker Telescope, he focused on faint, cloud-like nebulae, uncovering secrets that reshaped cosmology.
One of Hubble’s most groundbreaking discoveries came in 1923, when he observed the Andromeda Nebula. By identifying a Cepheid variable star, he proved that the nebula was not part of the Milky Way but a galaxy of its own. This discovery showed that the universe was far larger than anyone had previously imagined.
Hubble further revolutionised astronomy with the “Hubble Classification Scheme,” which categorises galaxies into spiral, elliptical, or irregular shapes. This system remains a cornerstone of modern astronomy, aiding our understanding of galaxy formation and evolution.

Hubble’s expanding universe and Hubble’s law

In 1929, Hubble redefined humanity’s place in the cosmos by demonstrating that galaxies are moving away from each other, with their speed proportional to their distance. This phenomenon, known as Hubble’s Law, was based on his studies of the redshift of galaxies and provided the first observational evidence of the universe’s expansion—a critical element of the Big Bang Theory.
Hubble’s discovery proved that the universe was not static but an ever-expanding and dynamic realm, containing countless galaxies. This revelation laid the groundwork for modern cosmology and transformed our understanding of the universe’s origins and evolution.

Edwin Hubble’s legacy lives on

Hubble’s classification system for galaxies, known as the “Hubble Tuning Fork,” remains a cornerstone of modern astronomy. His contributions inspired generations of scientists and paved the way for future discoveries.
Though he passed away in 1953, his legacy lives on. The Hubble Space Telescope, launched in 1990, honours his vision by capturing stunning images and deepening our understanding of the cosmos. Its mission embodies Hubble’s enduring words: “The search will continue. Not until the empirical resources are exhausted, need we pass on to the dreamy realms of speculation.”
Edwin Hubble’s life and work remind us that curiosity and perseverance can propel humanity to unimaginable heights, revealing the vastness and beauty of the universe we call home.
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NEW YORK: Distant, ancient galaxies are giving scientists more hints that a mysterious force called dark energy may not be what they thought.
Astronomers know that the universe is being pushed apart at an accelerating rate and they have puzzled for decades over what could possibly be speeding everything up. They theorize that a powerful, constant force is at play, one that fits nicely with the main mathematical model that describes how the universe behaves. But they can’t see it and they don’t know where it comes from, so they call it dark energy.
It is so vast it is thought to make up nearly 70% of the universe – while ordinary matter like all the stars and planets and people make up just 5%.
However, findings published earlier this year by an international research collaboration of more than 900 scientists from around the globe yielded a major surprise. As the scientists analyzed how galaxies move they found that the force pushing or pulling them around did not seem to be constant. And the same group published a new, broader set of analyses Tuesday that yielded a similar answer.
“I did not think that such a result would happen in my lifetime,” said Mustapha Ishak-Boushaki, a cosmologist at the University of Texas at Dallas who is part of the collaboration.
Called the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, it uses a telescope based in Tucson, Arizona to create a three-dimensional map of the universe’s 11-billion-year history to see how galaxies have clustered throughout time and across space. That gives scientists information about how the universe evolved, and where it might be heading.
The map they are building would not make sense if dark energy were a constant force, as it is theorized. Instead, the energy appears to be changing or weakening over time. If that is indeed the case, it would upend astronomers’ standard cosmological model. It could mean that dark energy is very different than what scientists thought or that there may be something else altogether going on.
“It’s a time of great excitement, and also some head-scratching and confusion,” said Bhuvnesh Jain, a cosmologist at the University of Pennsylvania who is not involved with the research.
The collaboration’s latest finding points to a possible explanation from an older theory: that across billions of years of cosmic history, the universe expanded and galaxies clustered as Einstein’s general relativity predicted.
The new findings aren’t definitive. Astronomers say they need more data to overturn a theory that seemed to fit together so well. They hope observations from other telescopes and new analyses of the new data over the next few years will determine whether the current view of dark energy stands or falls.
“The significance of this result right now is tantalizing,” said Robert Caldwell, a physicist at Dartmouth College who is not involved with the research, “but it’s not like a gold-plated measurement.”
There’s a lot riding on the answer. Because dark energy is the biggest component of the universe, its behavior determines the universe’s fate, explained David Spergel, an astrophysicist and president of the Simons Foundation. If dark energy is constant, the universe will continue to expand, forever getting colder and emptier. If it’s growing in strength, the universe will expand so speedily that it’ll destroy itself in what astronomers call the Big Rip.
“Not to panic. If this is what’s going on, it won’t happen for billions of years,” he said. “But we’d like to know about it.”