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Birth Date
Son of John and Virginia Lee Hubble. Born in Marshfield, Missouri on November 20, 1889. He was the 3rd of 8 children. -
First Glimps
Hubble's grandfather, Dr. William James, sets up a telescope at his house. For his 8th birthday, Hubble asks to spend all night watching the stars through the telescope. He is granted his requested, and wearing a warm sweater and scarf, he gazes through the lens until dawn, fascinated with all he sees. -
On the Move
When Hubble is 12 -years-old, his father moves the family to Wheaton, Illinois. Hubble writes a letter to his grandfather discussing the possibility of life on Mars. His grandfather is so pleased with the letter, that he sends it to a newspaper in Springfield, Missouri, where it is published. -
Early Education
Hubble loves to read, particularly Jules Verne's imaginative stories of space and exploration. He is a good student, but is a terrible speller. At 6' 2" Hubble does well in his high school basketball, track, and tennis teams. He graduates in 1906 at age 16, receiving a scholarship to the University of Chicago. -
College
Hubble studies mathematics and astronomy at the University of Chicago. He also gets involved in boxing. When he hears that Rhodes Scholarships are offered to qualified students, he studies extra hard, and ends up winning the prestigious award to study in England for 3 years. -
A visit from Albert Einstein.
Hubble's popularity allows him to meet many famous people. One man is the famous physicist Albert Einstein. Because of Hubble and another scientist's research, Einstein changes his view and now believes that the universe is expanding. -
Went to Queen's College
Hubble uses his scholarship to attend Queen's College at Oxford University. Thinking that astronomy is only a hobby and not a potential career field, he studies law and receives a bachelor's degree at the end of his 3rd year. -
Mount Wilson Observatory
Hubble trains new troops and becomes a major. By the time he gets to Europe, the war is winding down. Returning to the United States, he heads to Mount Wilson. Dr. Hale hires him and now Hubble can use the 100-inch reflecting Hooker telescope, the biggest in the world. -
Job Offer and war
Hubble works on his doctoral thesis on the cloud-like objects in space known as nebulae. He receives a job offer from Dr. George Hale at the Mount Wilson Observatory in Southern California. But he declines the offer and joins the army after graduation to fight in the war in Europe. -
Nebulae discoveries
Hubble has to take turns using the 100-inch and 60-inch telescopes. But he continues his nebulae research. At this time most astronomers think the nebulae are part of the same Milky Way galaxy. Hubble's careful research with these large telescopes shows these nebulae are really other galaxies. -
Sprial Nebulae
Hubble writes up his research and publishes it as "Cepheids in Spiral Nebulae." He receives a prize from the Association for the Advancement of Science the following year. -
Hubble introduced system of classifying galaxies.
Returning to Mount Wilson after the war, Hubble continued his observations of galaxies. In 1925 he introduced a system for classifying them at a meeting of the International Astronomical Union; according to this system, galaxies were either "regular" or "irregular." The system used to classify galaxies today is still based on Hubble's structure. -
WWii
When World War II starts, Hubble is asked to direct ballistics research at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland. He studies the flight paths of missile, bullets, and other objects. He receives the Medal of Merit for his work. -
Death
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A famous telescope was named after Hubble.
The Hubble Space Telescope was launched by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in 1990. Its namesake is to honor Edwin Powell Hubble.