Publication Abstracts

Way and Hunter 2013

Way, M.J. and D. Hunter (Eds.), 2013: Origins of the Expanding Universe: 1912-1932. ASP Conference Series 471. Astronomical Society of the Pacific.

On September 17, 1912, Vesto Melvin Slipher exposed the first plate on which he would later measure the first radial velocity of a "spiral nebula" — the Andromeda Galaxy. Using the 24-inch telescope at Lowell Observatory he followed up with more Doppler shifts, and established that large velocities, usually in recession, are a general property of the spiral nebulae. Those early redshifts measured by Slipher were not only recognized as remarkable by the community, but were later critical to the discovery of what eventually came to be called "The Expanding Universe." Surprisingly, Slipher's role in the story and that of many other important contributors remains unknown to much of the astronomical community.

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the first measured Doppler shift in the spectrum of a spiral nebula, a conference was held September 13-15, 2012 in Flagstaff, Arizona, home of the Lowell Observatory. This conference brought together astronomers, historians, and interested lay people to explore the beginning and trajectory of the concept of the expanding universe.

This book is a modest attempt to place the discoveries that took place in the years between 1912 and 1932 in their proper historical context and to better comprehend the contributions of a number of important scientists including H. Curtis, W. de Sitter, A. Eddington, A. Einstein, A. Friedman, E. Hubble, H. Leavitt, G. Lemaître, K. Lundmark, J. Reynolds, H. Russell, H. Shapley, L. Silberstein, and V. M. Slipher.

  • ISBN 9781583818268, 9781583818275.

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BibTeX Citation

@misc{wa04400x,
  editor={Way, M. J. and Hunter, D.},
  title={Origins of the Expanding Universe: 1912-1932},
  year={2013},
  publisher={Astronomical Society of the Pacific},
  address={San Francisco},
  series={ASP Conference Series 471},
  isbn={9781583818268, 9781583818275}
}

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RIS Citation

TY  - EDBOOK
ID  - wa04400x
ED  - Way, M. J.
ED  - Hunter, D.
PY  - 2013
BT  - Origins of the Expanding Universe: 1912-1932
T3  - ASP Conference Series 471
SN  - 9781583818268, 9781583818275
PB  - Astronomical Society of the Pacific
CY  - San Francisco
ER  -

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