Hubble's Expanding Universe
Description
Science still can't explain why everything came into existence, but, thanks to Edwin Hubble, it can answer questions about how and when the universe began as well as what shape it is currently taking and what it may become. This program outlines Hubble's early years and his entrance into the field of astronomy, then describes how his career became a search for the answer to a very big question: how large is the universe? Relating Hubble's interest in "starry nebulae," now known as galaxies, the film explains how he deployed Mount Wilson's 100-inch telescope in order to study Cepheid variable stars, eventually establishing that the universe was much bigger than anyone had imagined. Viewers also share in Hubble's realization that galaxies are all moving away from each other, which led to his concept of an expanding universe and his attempts to calculate its age. Wrapping up the program: discussions of the possibility, given the size of the cosmos, that life exists beyond our solar system.
Runtime
20 min
Series
Subjects
Contributor
Geography
Genre
Date of Publication
[2011], c2002
Database
Films on Demand
Direct Link
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