distances, not absolute distances,but even so it time t anyone o measure thelarge-scale universe.
(Just to put ts into perspective, it is pering t at time Leavittand Cannon al properties of tograpes, tronomer illiam o a first-class telescope as often as ed, cing insects.)Combining Leavitt’s cosmic yardstick o Slips, Eded points in space a puffof distant gossamer in tellation kno a gas cloud at allbut a blaze of stars, a galaxy in its oleast nine -years aer—vastly vaster—tin for “clouds,” ed not just of t of lots of independent galaxies—“islanduniverses”—many of tant.
tation, but urned to tion of just er triking discovery. o measure tra of distant galaxies—tSlip ilson’s ne all t for our oer) are moving aance lyproportional: ter it was moving.
truly startling. tly and evenly in all directions. Itdidn’t take a of imagination to read back it musttarted from some central point. Far from being table, fixed, eternal voidt everyone migherefore also have an end.
teped, is t no one on tatic universe, as so Neronomer since, self. t if stars ely in a static universe tolerably —certainly mucoo for t a stroke.
ter observer t immediately appreciate tions of ofEinstein’s General tivity. te remarkable because, for one tein and Micill one of t alert and esteemed scientists—accepted a position at Mount ilson to measure ty of ligrustyinterferometer, and must surely least mentioned to y of Einstein’sto his own findings.
At all events, o make tical ead, it to a Belgian priest-sc) named Georges Lema?tre tobring togetrands in ed t trical point, a “primeval atom,” o glory and ever since. It very neatly anticipated tion of t ime t Lema?tre seldom gets moretence or t ent discovery of cosmic background radiation by Penzias and ilsonat tenna in Neo move frominteresting idea to establisheory.
Neitein big story. t at time, bot as muco do.
In 1936 tering style s. last ed ein’s to a point any of about two hundred.
attack