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 EDWIN
POWELL HUBBLE
(1889 - 1953)
Date and place of birth: 29th November 1889
in Marshfield, Missouri, USA
Early life and Education:: Studied mathematics, astronomy and philosophy at the University
of Chicago, obtained his degree in 1910. He later studied law and then
Spanish at Oxford University in the UK.
Employment: School teacher and basketball coach at New Albany High School
in Indiana. Major during the First World War. Worked at Mount Wilson
Observatory in California after the war for the rest of his life, serving
in the US Army during World War II.
Main achievements: Discovered that there is more to the Universe
than the Milky Way galaxy. While at Mount Wilson Observatory, using what
was then the world's largest telescope, Hubble observed galaxies (such as
Andromeda) which lay beyond our own galaxy proving that the Universe is
much bigger than people thought. He also created groups for galaxies based
on their appearances (ellipitcal, lenticular and spiral galaxies). He also
discovered that redshift increases with distance. What this means is that
the further a galaxy is away from another, the faster it has travelled to
get that far. This discovery backed up theories that the Universe began
with a "Big Bang" and that it is expanding. Hubble also
discovered the asteroid 1373 Cincinnati.
Landmarks/objects named after Hubble: Asteroid 2069 Hubble, Hubble Crater
on the Moon and the Hubble Space Telescope in orbit around Earth.
Extra information: While at school and University, Hubble was known more
for his athletic skills rather than his academic abilities, setting the
Illinios State high jump record.
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