Famous Scientist of the Month: Edwin Hubble

Born on 29^th November 1889, Edwin Hubble is my famous scientist of the moth for November. Thanks to Hubble’s discoveries, we now know that other galaxies exist outside of our own, and they are all classified according to their shape. His theory that the universe is constantly expanding is now generally accepted.

Early Life

Hubble was born in Marshfield, Missouri, USA, but his family moved to Chicago in 1898 where he attended high school.

Although he was always a keen sportsman, excelling in basketball and boxing, and even beating the Illinois State high jump record, Hubble earned an undergraduate degree in mathematics and astronomy at the University of Chicago.

He later went on to study law at Oxford University, England, where he was on a Rhodes scholarship. When he returned to America in 1913, Hubble set up a law practise in Louisville, Kentucky, but he knew his real passion was astronomy. In 1917, Hubble had completed studies at the Yerkes Observatory and received a doctorate in astronomy.

Research and discoveries

It was after the First World War whilst working at the Mount Wilson Observatory in California that Hubble managed to prove other galaxies existed outside of our own. Before Hubble’s findings, it was widely believed that our own galaxy, the Milky Way, was the whole universe.  Hubble then went on to develop a classification system for these other galaxies he observed.

In 1929, Hubble’s observations allowed him to devise Hubble’s Law, a formula to help determine the age of the universe, which also proved that the universe is expanding outwards.

Later life

Hubble always tried hard to have astronomy reclassified to be considered an area of physics, as during his life it was considered its own science.  Hubble was keen for astronomers to be recognised by the Nobel Prize Committee for their contributions to science, but unfortunately this didn’t happen in his lifetime.

Hubble passed away on September 28 1953 of a blood clot in the brain.

Shortly after he died, Hubble’s wish was recognised, and the Nobel Prize Committee agreed that astronomists would be eligible for a prize in physics.

You may also recognise Edwin Hubble’s surname, as he lends it to the famous Hubble Space Telescope, which has been in orbit outside of the Earth’s atmosphere since 1990, and is still in use today.

I’m off to carry out some more experiments on my mobile science cart. Until next time folks!

Source: http://www.edwinhubble.com/