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Edwin Powell Hubble

Edwin Powell Hubble Quotes

Astronomer

Edwin Powell Hubble was an American astronomer known for his significant contributions to observational cosmology and extragalactic astronomy. His discovery in 1929 that the universe is expanding was a major breakthrough, leading to the acceptance of the Big Bang theory. Hubble's work also provided evidence for the existence of galaxies beyond the Milky Way and helped establish Hubble's Law.

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All Science Astronomy Knows Observation Telescopes Cosmology Errors Hubble Space Telescope Landmarks Universe

Famous Edwin Powell Hubble Quotes

“Science is the one human activity that is totally progressive.”

Humans Activity Progressive Human Activity

Author:Edwin Powell Hubble

“We do not know why we are born into the world, but we can try to find out what sort of a world it is - at least in its physical aspects.”

Knows World Trying Born Aspect

Author:Edwin Powell Hubble

“Observation always involves theory.”

Theory Observation

Author:Edwin Powell Hubble

“Equipped with his five senses, man explores the universe around him and calls the adventure Science.”

Source: The Nature of Science: And Other Lectures

“Equipped with our five senses - along with telescopes and microscopes and mass spectrometers and seismographs and magnetometers and particle accelerators and detectors sensitive to the entire electromagnetic spectrum - we explore the universe around us and call the adventure science.”

Universe Vision Five Seeing Adventure Mass Senses Sensitive Awe Particles Spectrum Telescopes Microscopes Five Senses

Author:Edwin Powell Hubble

“Observations always involve theory.”

Science Environment Theory Environmental Observation

Book:The Realm of the Nebulæ

Source: The Realm of the Nebulæ

“With increasing distance, our knowledge fades, and fades rapidly. Eventually, we reach the dim boundary-the utmost limits of our telescopes. There, we measure shadows, and we search among ghostly errors of measurement for landmarks that are scarcely more substantial. The search will continue. Not until the empirical resources are exhausted, need we pass on to the dreamy realms of speculation.”

Knows Needs Science Knowledge Limits Shadow Resources Distance Errors Boundaries Observation Realms Fades Exhausted Speculation Measurement Telescopes Dreamy Landmarks

Book:The Realm of the Nebulæ

Source: The Realm of the Nebulæ

“The history of astronomy is a history of receding horizons.”

History Astronomy Horizon Cosmology Hubble Space Telescope

Book:The Realm of the Nebulæ

Source: The Realm of the Nebulæ

“Science is the one human activity that is truly progressive. The body of positive knowledge is transmitted from generation to generation.”

Knows Humans Body Science Knowledge Generations Activity Accounts Progressive Human Activity

Book:Hubble's Cosmology: A Guided Study of Selected Texts

Source: Hubble's Cosmology: A Guided Study of Selected Texts

“All nature is a vast symbolism: Every material fact has sheathed within it a spiritual truth.”

Facts Spiritual Nature Materials Symbolism Spiritual Truth

Author:Edwin Powell Hubble

“I knew that even if I were second or third rate, it was astronomy that mattered.”

Ifs Thirds Rate Astronomy

Author:Edwin Powell Hubble

“Not until the empirical resources are exhausted, need we pass on to the dreamy realms of speculation.”

Needs Resources Realms Exhausted Speculation Dreamy

Book:The Realm of the Nebulæ

Source: The Realm of the Nebulæ

“At the last dim horizon, we search among ghostly errors of observations for landmarks that are scarcely more substantial. The search will continue. The urge is older than history. It is not satisfied and it will not be oppressed.”

Lasts Errors Satisfied Observation Urges Horizon Oppressed Landmarks

Author:Edwin Powell Hubble

“There we measure shadows, and we search among ghostly errors of measurement for landmarks that are scarcely more substantial.”

Shadow Errors Measurement Telescopes Landmarks

Author:Edwin Powell Hubble

“The universe is unfolding as it should.”

Should Universe Unfolding

Author:Edwin Powell Hubble

“Astronomy is something like the ministry. No one should go into it without a call. I got that unmistakable call, and I know that even if I were second-rate or third-rate, it was astronomy that mattered.”

Ifs Knows Should Space Thirds Rate Astronomy Ministry Star Gazing Second Rate

Author:Edwin Powell Hubble

“The great spirals, with their enormous radial velocities and insensible proper motions, apparently lie outside our Solar system.”

Lying Astronomy Enormous Cosmology Spirals Solar System Velocity Insensible

Book:Photographic Investigations of Faint Nebulae ...

Source: Photographic Investigations of Faint Nebulae ...

“The outstanding feature, however, is the possibility that the velocity-distance relation may represent the de Sitter effect, and hence that numerical data may be introduced into discussions of the general curvature of space.”

May Space Effects Possibility Relation Distance Astronomy Data Discussion Features Outstanding Cosmology Velocity

Book:Hubble's Cosmology: A Guided Study of Selected Texts

Source: Hubble's Cosmology: A Guided Study of Selected Texts

“A scientist naturally and inevitably ... mulls over the data and guesses at a solution. He proceeds to testing of the guess by new data-predicting the consequences of the guess and then dispassionately inquiring whether or not the predictions are verified.”

Science Solutions Consequence Scientist Data Predictions Testing Predicting Inquiring

Author:Edwin Powell Hubble

“The great spirals... apparently lie outside our stellar system.”

Lying Spirals Stellar Hubble Space Telescope

Author:Edwin Powell Hubble

“Wisdom cannot be directly transmitted, and does not readily accumulate through the ages.”

Doe Wisdom Age Science

Author:Edwin Powell Hubble

“Past time is finite, future time is infinite.”

Past Science Time Infinite Finite Future Time

Book:The Observational Approach to Cosmology

Source: The Observational Approach to Cosmology

About the Author

Born: November 20, 1889
Died: September 28, 1953
Known for: Astronomer
Quotes: 22

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Science Astronomy Knows Observation Telescopes Cosmology Errors Hubble Space Telescope Landmarks Universe

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Books & Sources

The Realm of the NebulæRelated source material

Hubble's Cosmology: A Guided Study of Selected TextsRelated source material

Photographic Investigations of Faint Nebulae ...Related source material

The Nature of Science: And Other LecturesRelated source material

The Observational Approach to CosmologyRelated source material

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