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Hubble’s law

astronomy
Also known as: Hubble expansion, Hubble law, velocity–distance law(Show More)

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Hubble's law, also known as the Hubble-Lemaître law, is a fundamental concept in cosmology that describes the expansion of the universe. It states that the velocity at which a galaxy recedes from Earth is directly proportional to its distance from us. This relationship was established by astronomer Edwin Hubble in 1929, building on earlier observations of galactic redshifts.1234

The law is expressed as: velocity = H0 × distance, where H0 is the Hubble constant. This constant represents the rate of the universe's expansion and is measured in kilometers per second per megaparsec. Modern estimates for the Hubble constant are around 67-72 km/s/Mpc. The reciprocal of the Hubble constant provides an approximate age for the universe, estimated to be between 13 and 14 billion years. Hubble's discovery provided crucial empirical support for the idea of an expanding universe originating from a big bang.1325

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