Question

Early in the 20th century, astronomers discovered that most galaxies are moving away from the Milky Way (they are redshifted). What was the significance of this discovery?

Additionally, Edwin Hubble (and Lemaitre w/ help from Slipher) later made an even more important discovery: that the speed at which most galaxies are receding is proportional to their distance. Why was this among the most important scientific discoveries of the 20th century?

Answer 1

a)

Ans: The universe is expanding, providing evidence that it began with a big bang.

b)

Ans: In the face of Hubble’s evidence, Einstein was also forced to abandon his idea of a force of cosmic repulsion, calling it the “biggest blunder” he had ever made. But others, notably the Russian physicist Alexander Friedmann and the Belgian priest and physicist Georges Lemaître, had already used Einstein’s own theory of proof that the universe was in fact in motion, either contracting or expanding. It is now recognized that Einstein’s description of gravity as the curvature of space-timein his General Theory of Relativity was actually one of the first indications of a universe which had grown out of much humbler beginnings.

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answered by: anonymous