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Robert W. Smith
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The Expanding Universe: Astronomy's 'Great Debate', 1900–1931 1st Edition

by Robert W. Smith (Author)
5.0 5.0 out of 5 stars 3 ratings
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In the years between 1900 and 1931 astronomers witnessed three startling changes in their view of the Universe. First, the accepted value of the size of the star system, which increased by a factor of ten; secondly, evidence forced the acceptance of the fact that there are other star systems beyond our own Galaxy; and lastly, that observation of these external galaxies disclosed the expansion of the Universe. This book, originally published in 1982, describes and explains in detail these shifts in opinion, considering them in the light of theories and ideas on the nature of the Universe, were current at the beginning of the twentieth century. Archive material is used to provide major interpretations of several of the processes and events associated with these shifts such as the 'Great Debate' between Harlow Shapley and H. D. Curtis in 1920 on 'The scale of the Universe'. This book with be of interest to professional and amateur astronomers as well as historians of science.
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  1. ISBN-10
    0521130069
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0521130066
  3. Edition
    1st
  4. Publisher
    Cambridge University Press
  5. Publication date
    February 11, 2009
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    6 x 0.59 x 9 inches
  8. Print length
    236 pages
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

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"Thoroughly researched, with copious links to original material, including personal correspondence of several of the main players … very readable …"
Contemporary Physics

Book Description

This book analyses, with archival evidence, the three major changes to astronomers' theories between 1900 and 1931.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Cambridge University Press; 1st edition (February 11, 2009)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 236 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0521130069
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0521130066
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.3 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.59 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    5.0 5.0 out of 5 stars 3 ratings

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Robert W. Smith

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Customer reviews

5 out of 5 stars
5 out of 5
3 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Thomas S. Allen
5.0 out of 5 stars So well written. How else can one learn of ...
Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2017
Verified Purchase
So well written. How else can one learn of the future of cosmology without studying the struggles of the past. As written by sociologist Robert King Merton, “Most institutions demand unqualified faith; but the institution of science makes skepticism a virtue.” The understanding need for skepticism in science is brought out magnificently in this well researched study of the history of cosmology. We await further revelation as to how scientists dream about the significance of such a magnificent creation.
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Marguerite Abaddonais
5.0 out of 5 stars Such an Important Debate
Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2013
Verified Purchase
This is a concise and interesting book surrounding the Curtis/Shapley debate - or in astronomy, the 'Great Debate'. The great debate was about whether or not the Milky Way encompassed all other galaxies or if they were outside the Milky Way. It's very interesting, and a good bit of history. Highly recommend it.
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bowonwing
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book on the struggles and people of "The Expanding Universe"
Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2014
Hubble gets all the credit but many other people made significant contributions to the discovery of the "Expanding Universe" which are contained in this great book. For instance:
Miss Henrietta Leavitt at Harvard College Observatory, who (in about 1908) first proposed a fundamental hypothesis that Cepheids variables exhibit a relationship between the periods of their light variation and their absolute magnitudes. However, Hertzsprung calibrated the relationship between period and luminosity. This information was used to "secure the distances to those aggregates of stars," (the Small Magellanic Cloud). "The Expanding Universe," (1982), Robert Smith, page 71. As I said, a lot of other people were involved in this pursuit, but Hubble got all of the credit.
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