In the early 1900s, the size of the universe had not been known. There were many different theories about the size, but no one had known for sure. However, in late 1919, George Ellery Hale, founder and Director of Mount Wilson Observatory in Nevada, had the idea of a debate between Harlow Shapley of the Mount Wilson Observatory and Heber D. Curtis of the Lick Observatory over the size of the universe. This debate is now known as The Great Debate. In this debate, titled “The Scale of the Universe,” both men used faulty and fragmented evidence to corroborate their arguments. The winner of the debate was not known at the time, as no one knew if what they were saying was true. However, Curtis was said to be more eloquent in his delivery of his …show more content…
He also believed that observed “nebulae” were just smaller dust clouds within the Milky Way Galaxy. However, he also believed that the Sun was not the center of the galaxy. To support his claims, he used many types of evidence. His argument against the sun being the center of the galaxy was that globular clusters were more prominent towards one half the the sky, the side closer to the center. To support his single galaxy theory, He claimed that if “nebulae” were separate galaxies, they would have to be 108 light years away for the measurements to be correct, a distance not fathomable at the time. He also used claims by Adriaan van Maanen that he observed the Pinwheel Galaxy spinning. If this were true, then it would have to be within the span of the Milky Way Galaxy because if it were a separate galaxy it would be spinning at speeds far greater than the speed of light, which is physically impossible. His other main argument for a single galaxy theory was that that it had been observed that, what we now know as the Andromeda Galaxy, had given off an amount of light that had momentarily outshone the entire “nebula.” This amount of energy was seemingly impossible at the time, if the “nebula” was indeed a separate …show more content…
He discovered that spiral nebulae were actually separate galaxies that were incredibly distant from our own. It has also been proven that a supermassive black hole is at the center of galaxies, not the Sun. These facts have proven that both Curtis and Shapley were both right and wrong about major issues. Shapley was correct about the sun not being the center of the universe and Curtis was correct about spiral nebulae being separate galaxies. However, both were incorrect about the size of the Milky Way Galaxy. The actual number is less than Shapley’s overestimation and more than Curtis’s underestimation, so somewhere in between. So, the answer to who won the debate seems unclear, as they were both right and wrong about some issues. However, since their papers used in the argument were titled “The Scale of the Universe” you could conclude that Curtis won because of this technicality. Since he was correct about multiple galaxies and the universe being far larger than just our own galaxy, he could rightfully be considered the winner of the debate, because he correct about the main issue of the debate, despite being incorrect about other minor topics within the
In Alan Lightman’s, “Our Place in the Universe,” he describes his experiences in the Greek Isles explaining how meek it made him feel to be surrounded by the vast ocean with no land in sight except a small strip of brown in the distance. Great thinkers throughout history, have been exploring the visible variety of shapes, colors, and sizes, though the greatest of these are size, from the smallest atom to gargantuan stars. These massive differences in size change the way we view ourselves in the universe. (470) Garth Illingworth, from the University of California, has studied galaxies more than 13 billion light years away from us.
High school can be tough, but when people add traumatic events, life changing situations, and judgemental teenagers to the mix it can get worse. The world may seem like it’s ending, but it's important to remember that this is only a small portion of life. Not only like, but the world. The key to getting through high school is close and important friends. In the novel Holding Up The Universe by Jennifer Niven, the author tells the reader that trust is not given, but earned.
What they did find was fluctuations in the model dating back 65 million years ago right when the asteroid supposedly hit. Even though it sounds like good solid evidence a lot of scientists are still not sold on the idea and need more convincing.
Isha Judd once said, “Say yes to changes, to surprises, and to unexpected events; you will start to appreciate the perfection within everything.” In Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven, this quote seems to sum up Libby and Jack’s life after everything they’ve gone through. Libby, an overweight girl, only wanted to get through the torments of highschool, while Jack, a popular boy with a secret disease called prosopagnosia, or face blindness, wanted to keep up his facade; they never thought that, through a slight altercation, they would end up having anything to do with each other, and especially nothing more. These intriguing characters, an unpredictable plot, tied together with a lasting theme all make this the best book you would ever read.
Part I: The Edge of Knowledge Chapter 1: Tied Up with Strings This is the introductory section, where the author, Brian Greene, examines the fundamentals of what is currently proven to be true by experimentation in the realm of modern physics. Green goes on to talk more about "The Basic Idea" of string theory. He describes how physicists are aspiring to reach the Theory of Everything, or T.O.E. Some suspect when string theory is completely understood that it might turn out to become the T.O.E.Part II: The Dilemma of Space, Time, and Quanta Chapter 2: Space, Time, and the Eye of the Beholder In the chapter, Greene describes how Albert Einstein solved the paradox about light. In the mid-1800's James Maxwell succeeded in showing that light was actually an electromagnetic wave.
The team of Tycho Brahe and John Keppler were the next to study Copernicus’ theory. Brahe tried to disprove Copernicus’ theory and tried to prove the idea of the earth-centered universe. Although Keppler was Brahe’s assistant, he argued for Copernicus and analyzed Brahe’s data to conclude that the sun was the center of the universe. Keppler also used Brahe’s data to discover the movement of the planet Mars. This was the key to explaining all planetary motion. ii He also discovered the planets move in elliptical orbits, which also went against the beliefs of the church. Kepp...
Thirteen point seven billion years ago the universe went from a small and dense state, to an exponentially large state. Big things do come in small packages. However this is not the only story of the creation of the universe and it’s inhabitants. On November fourth two thousand and fifteen two scientists went head to head to prove which creation story would be a “viable model for today's modern science,” creation or evolution. Defending the side of evolution was none other that an old friend from our childhood, Bill Nye, also known as Bill Nye the Science Guy. No doubt wonderful memories are flooding into your brain right now. Defending the side of creation is a man named Ken Ham, also known as the man you have probably never heard of before. Each side had a limited time to argue their topics. In the end of this debate,
Hoyle, Fred From Stonehenge to Modern Cosmology San Francisco 1972 On Stonehenge San Francisco 1977
...mewhat dogmatic view. Paley has much stronger support for his specific views than Russell does when it comes to the design argument.
Others believe that the universe was created by god in my opinion, I believe the universe was made by the greatest event in the universe the big bang theory. I still think the universe in expanding all the time every second of every day and it will continue expanding until the universe is destroyed by someone or it blows up by itself.There are still many gaps in how the universe was created and how the universe is still expanding to levels that are humongous. So this clearly stated that I believe the big bang theory happened and the universe will never stop expanding and if it wasn't for Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson for finding the evidence we would of never thought the big bang theory really happened.
... various geometers to account for observed inconsistencies in their basic theory. It would take many centuries before anyone had accurate enough observations to realize that the theory could not account for all data. By then, people would have even more difficulty letting go of their clockwork, geocentric, "divinely subsidized" universe than the Greeks, who had placed their version of a Bible, the Homeric and Hesiodic myth-cycle, into the realm of metaphor.
Much to the dismay of the Church, two astronomers Galileo and Kepler had the audacity to challenge the authorities by suggesting that the sun-not the earth-was at the center of the universe. The church had a stronghold on the way the spiritual and physical world worked, so these discoveries only added to the Church’s resistance to their aims. Their discoveries came only after Kepler and Galileo began to question ancient theories about how the world functioned. These ancient truths were widely held but were inconsistent with the new observations that they had made. Kepler had discovered the laws of planetary motion which suggested that the planet would move in elliptical orbits, while Galileo followed with his discovery of the principle of inertia. Galileo concluded his finding b...
...t is that human reasoning abilities have allowed mankind to develop a virtual telescope far beyond the reach of our newest space viewing technologies. With this theory, humans come closer to realizing our place within the multiverse and the uniqueness of our own universe. The conflicting ideas, though difficult to prove one way or another, provide an impetus that will stimulate further research into this field, opening new doors and potentially useful technologies that could further humans’ understanding of everything on which our knowledge rests.
13.8 Billion years ago, long before the creation of the popular television show, The Big Bang Theory occurred and is now the most widely recognized cosmological model for the universe. The Big Bang theory is an attempt to explain how the universe we know today began. Over the years, numerous discoveries and research have revealed that our universe did have a beginning, and that there was nothing before the Big Bang occurred. Throughout history there have been other theories as to how our universe began, though the Big Bang still prevails. One of the most exciting parts about the universe is a vast and fascinating place and there are even new discoveries still being made today. The Big Bang theory is widely regarded as the most likely scenario
This is probably the greatest discovery imaginable; however, the universe still seems to be a very controversial subject.