February 17, 1996
Your birthday marks the moment a small planet circling a modest star gained another witness to its wonders.
Edwin Hubble Discovers the Universe
Birthday · February 17, 1996
A little universe, just for you
Your date.
Ready to give.
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APOD published February 17, 1996. Full image credits are on the original APOD entry below. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
No person in history has had greater impact in determining the extent of our universe than Edwin Hubble. From proving that other galaxies existed to proving that galaxies move apart from one another, Hubble's work defined our place in the cosmos. Hubble lived from 1889 to 1953 and is shown above posing with the 48-inch telescope on Palomar Mountain and his famous pipe. In memory of his great work, the Orbiting Space Telescope was named after him. Today a great controversy rages on the rate of the universe's expansion, parameterized by a quantity known as Hubble's constant. A real live debate on this subject will take place in Washington, DC this April.