In 1924, Edwin Hubble made a significant contribution to our understanding of the universe. Hubble, an American astronomer, provided evidence supporting the idea that the Milky Way galaxy is just one of many galaxies in the universe.
At the time, there was a debate among astronomers about the nature of so-called “spiral nebulae,” which were thought by some to be part of our own Milky Way galaxy and by others to be separate galaxies in their own right. Using the newly constructed 100-inch Hooker Telescope at Mount Wilson Observatory in California, Hubble observed Cepheid variable stars in the Andromeda Nebula (now known as the Andromeda Galaxy).
By measuring the distance to the Andromeda Nebula and comparing it to the brightness of Cepheid variable stars, Hubble determined that Andromeda was much farther away than previously thought. This led him to conclude that the spiral nebulae were, in fact, independent galaxies located far beyond the Milky Way. This groundbreaking work provided evidence for the concept of an expanding universe and laid the foundation for the formulation of Hubble’s Law, which describes the relationship between the redshift of galaxies and their distance from Earth.
Edwin Hubble’s observations played a crucial role in establishing the idea of an expanding universe, and his work significantly contributed to our understanding of the vastness and structure of the cosmos.
