= Book Review by Bill Dellinges
“Edwin Hubble – Mariner of the Nebulae”
By Gale E. Christianson
The
407 pages
$19 Paperback – Amazon
Edwin Hubble is probably the most famous astronomer of mo= dern times. Thus I believe every astronomer, amateur or professional, should read this book. It gives the reader a behind the scenes look at professional astronomy during the first half of the twentieth century and examines the m= ind and personality of the scientist who made two huge discoveries – that there are external galaxies beyond the Milky Way Galaxy (1923) and the Expanding Universe (1929). Hubble’s life was extraordinary. He was a Rhodes Scholar, athlete, = boxer, and earned a law degree but never practiced. He was an extensive traveler (= to the dismay of his superiors in the astronomical community as you will learn= ), rubbed elbows with just about every well known astronomer of the time, and = with Mount Wilson and Palomar observatories located near Los Angeles, hobnobbed = with many Hollywood personalities.
Hubble was a haughty fellow who grated on a number of his colleagues (to say the least). I got the impression he was close only to his wife Grace and his cat. The author did a remarkable job of research for the book as the considerable notes and bibliography attest. Reading this book, you’ll learn just about everything there is to know about this man’s remarkable life. Yet, likely due to Hubble’s aloofness and arrogance, as I finished the book I realized I had learned more about his w= ife Grace than Hubble himself. It was hard to get into this guy, to figure out = what made him tick. Still, I highly recommend this biography of one of the giant= s of astronomy.