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Words: 465; Time: 7 minutes
Scientists have long sought answers to many questions about space that are important to our understanding of our place in the universe. They search for answers because they know that understanding the universe is the most basic goal of all science. Astronomers know they can help the next generation by handing on advanced knowledge of the heavens. This becomes obvious if we imagine space becoming our future home. What we learn about space will make all the difference to our survival there.
We are used to the sun because it lights up our day. It is the nearest star to us. When the 16th century Italian scientist Galileo pointed his telescope at the night sky, he saw millions of distant stars through it. There was a concentration of stars in one direction, and this led astronomers to conclude that we live in an enormous star system that we now call the Milky Way (This name refers to the white milky appearance of the many stars that can be seen from the earth.). So it was an important scientific discovery that we live within a star system, and that the sun is only one of millions of stars that form a system. We call this system a galaxy(星系).
The next important discovery showed that there are millions of galaxies. This was a revelation because for centuries everybody believed that the sky had a roof! Scientists discovered this was not the case. Our modern view of space is filled with points of light, and that space goes on forever, without limit. Some of the points of light are stars in our own galaxy, the Milky Way, but others are whole galaxies that appear small because they are very distant. This revelation was proved beyond any doubt by the American astronomer Edwin Hubble.
Hubble’s discovery of galaxies being spread out in space led to a new understanding of the universe. Soon after this 1923 discovery, Hubble worked with others and they found out that the galaxies were moving in space. They were moving away from each other at GREat speed. This new picture of an expanding Universe holds to this day. It has been called “the most astounding fact of the 20th century” and it is a discovery that has made itself felt everywhere. Poets, philosophers, artists and scientists have all been inspired by this vision. When Albert Einstein’s new theory of relativity explaines how gravity created the expansion of the universe, everybody was in awe of the power of scientific reason.
These discoveries about space made an enormous difference to all our lives. They showed we could answer basic questions we ask about ourselves and our place in the universe. Even though many mysteries still remain, our way of scientific reasoning was proved to be successful and this inspired people everywhere.
Help:
concentration: large number of sth.
in the same place
enormous: very large
revelation: a pleasant surprise
astounding: very surprising
