Hubble Law (Noun)
Meaning
(astronomy) the generalization that the speed of recession of distant galaxies (the red shift) is proportional to their distance from the observer.
Classification
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents.
Examples
- Astronomers have relied on Hubble's law to estimate the distance to far-away galaxies since its discovery in the 1920s.
- The observation that the velocity of galaxies is directly proportional to their distance from our own has come to be known as Hubble's law.
- Hubble's law has been supported by numerous observations of galaxy recession velocities and their corresponding distances.
- By applying Hubble's law, scientists can calculate the distance to a galaxy based on its red shift and recession velocity.
- Edwin Hubble first proposed Hubble's law after analyzing the spectra and red shift of several galaxies in the early 20th century.