--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Hubble then made an even more amazing…" description: "\"“Hubble then made an even more amazing discovery. By measuring the red shift of the stars’ spectra (which is the light wave counterpart to the Doppler ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86b/walter-isaacson-384_astronomy_hubble-then-made-an-even-more-amazing-di_1420252.jpg" --- # Hubble then made an even more amazing discovery. By… ![“Hubble then made an even more amazing discovery. By measuring the red shift of the stars’ spectra (which is the light wave counterpart to the Doppler effect for sound waves), he realized that the galaxies were moving away from us. There were at least two possible explanations for the fact that…” quote by Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86b/walter-isaacson-384_astronomy_hubble-then-made-an-even-more-amazing-di_1420252.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86b/walter-isaacson-384_astronomy_hubble-then-made-an-even-more-amazing-di_1420252.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86b/walter-isaacson-384_astronomy_hubble-then-made-an-even-more-amazing-di_1420252.jpg) > ““Hubble then made an even more amazing discovery. By measuring the red shift of the stars’ spectra (which is the light wave counterpart to the Doppler effect for sound waves), he realized that the galaxies were moving away from us. There were at least two possible explanations for the fact that distant stars in all directions seemed to be flying away from us: (1) because we are the center of the universe, something that since the time of Copernicus only our teenage children believe; (2) because the entire metric of the universe was expanding, which meant that everything was stretching out in all directions so that all galaxies were getting farther away from one another. It became clear that the second explanation was the case when Hubble confirmed that, in general, the galaxies were moving away from us at a speed that was proportional to their distance from us. Those twice as far moved away twice as fast, and those three times as far moved away three times as fast. One way to understand this is to imagine a grid of dots that are each spaced an inch apart on the elastic surface of a balloon. Then assume that the balloon is inflated so that the surface expands to twice its original dimensions. The dots are now two inches away from each other. So during the expansion, a dot that was originally one inch away moved another one inch away. And during that same time period, a dot that was originally two inches away moved another two inches away, one that was three inches away moved another three inches away, and one that was ten inches away moved another ten inches away. The farther away each dot was originally, the faster it receded from our dot. And that would be true from the vantage point of each and every dot on the balloon. All of which is a simple way to say that the galaxies are not merely flying away from us, but instead, the entire metric of space, or the fabric of the cosmos, is expanding. To envision this in 3-D, imagine that the dots are raisins in a cake that is baking and expanding in all directions. On”” [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The universe expands uniformly, causing distant galaxies to recede faster the farther they are. **In simple terms:** Space itself stretches, making distant objects move away proportionally. Key Takeaway Understand cosmic expansion and its evidence. Themes science cosmology education Mood wonder inquisitive Type explanatory inspirational When to use this quote - classroom lectures - science documentaries - public talks - museum exhibits Key Concepts expansion redshift metric space Questions to Reflect On - How does the balloon analogy help grasp expansion? - What evidence supports the metric expansion view? A Different Perspective Complex math can be a barrier for lay audiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Astronomy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronomy/) [Center of the universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/center-of-the-universe/) [Sound waves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound-waves/) [Vantage point](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vantage-point/) ## Related quotes > [To say that the cosmos was expanding is equally to say that its members were contracting. The ultimate centers of power, each at first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olaf-stapledon/to-say-that-the-cosmos-was-expanding-is-equally-to-say-that-its/) [Olaf Stapledon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olaf-stapledon/) > [They've discovered that, where all the other galaxies are moving in one direction, ours is going in another. 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Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-g-carey/) > [Einstein wrestled with a problem back before we even knew the universe was expanding, and he was looking for a way to keep the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-riess/einstein-wrestled-with-a-problem-back-before-we-even-knew-the/) [Adam Riess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-riess/) > [I return to problems i can't solve, not because i am an idiot, but because the real problems can't be solved. The universe is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/i-return-to-problems-i-can-t-solve-not-because-i-am-an-idiot-but/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [Jazz is like the universe: it's been expanding since its creation and it's connected to everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-batiste/jazz-is-like-the-universe-it-s-been-expanding-since-its-creation-and/) Jonathan Batiste ## More by Walter Isaacson > [“he never finished any of the works he began because, so sublime was his idea of art, he saw faults even in the things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/he-never-finished-any-of-the-works-he-began-because-so-sublime-was/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [He had the attitude that he could do anything, and therefore so can you. He put his life in my hands. 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BILL ATKINSON. Early Apple employee, developed graphics for the Macintosh. CHRISANN BRENNAN. Jobs’s girlfriend at Homestead High,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/in-1996-bought-next-bringing-jobs-back-bill-atkinson-early-apple/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [“The last time there was this much excitement about a tablet, it had some commandments written on it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/the-last-time-there-was-this-much-excitement-about-a-tablet-it-had/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [“If you want to live your life in a creative way, as an artist, you have to not look back too much. 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We were all made by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-have-inside-me-the-winds-the-deserts-the-oceans-the-stars-and/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [Wen daylight turns to a darkened hue, D lovely stars hinting at u, ur heart beat tells u something true, That some 1 badly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/butterfly-kisses/wen-daylight-turns-to-a-darkened-hue-d-lovely-stars-hinting-at-u-ur/) Butterfly\_Kisses > [Home is behind, the world ahead, And there are many paths to tread Through shadows to the edge of night, Until the stars are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/home-is-behind-the-world-ahead-and-there-are-many-paths-to-tread/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In the movie, the stars above the ship bear no correspondence to any constellations in a real sky. 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The cosmic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-reason-so-many-of-us-are-obsessed-with-becoming-stars-is-because/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) [Browse all 6,190 Astronomy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronomy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Hubble then made an even more amazing discovery. By measuring the red shift of the stars’ spectra (which is the light wave counterpart to the Doppler effect for sound waves), he realized that the galaxies were moving away from us. There were at least two possible explanations for the fact that distant stars in all directions seemed to be flying away from us: (1) because we are the center of the universe, something that since the time of Copernicus only our teenage children believe; (2) because the entire metric of the universe was expanding, which meant that everything was stretching out in all directions so that all galaxies were getting farther away from one another. It became clear that the second explanation was the case when Hubble confirmed that, in general, the galaxies were moving away from us at a speed that was proportional to their distance from us. Those twice as far moved away twice as fast, and those three times as far moved away three times as fast. One way to understand this is to imagine a grid of dots that are each spaced an inch apart on the elastic surface of a balloon. Then assume that the balloon is inflated so that the surface expands to twice its original dimensions. The dots are now two inches away from each other. So during the expansion, a dot that was originally one inch away moved another one inch away. And during that same time period, a dot that was originally two inches away moved another two inches away, one that was three inches away moved another three inches away, and one that was ten inches away moved another ten inches away. The farther away each dot was originally, the faster it receded from our dot. And that would be true from the vantage point of each and every dot on the balloon. All of which is a simple way to say that the galaxies are not merely flying away from us, but instead, the entire metric of space, or the fabric of the cosmos, is expanding. To envision this in 3-D, imagine that the dots are raisins in a cake that is baking and expanding in all directions. 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