Observations always involve theory

Observations always involve theory

Observations always involve theory, a concept that is particularly evident in the work of Edwin Hubble, the renowned astronomer who revolutionized our understanding of the universe. Hubble's groundbreaking observations of distant galaxies and the expansion of the universe were not just the result of looking through a telescope and recording what he saw. They were deeply intertwined with the theoretical framework that he developed to make sense of his observations.

Hubble's most famous discovery was the realization that the universe is expanding, a finding that laid the foundation for the Big Bang theory of the origin of the universe. This discovery was not made in isolation from theory; rather, it was the result of Hubble's careful observations of the redshift of light from distant galaxies, combined with his understanding of the implications of this redshift for the motion of these galaxies. Hubble's theory of an expanding universe provided the framework within which he could interpret his observations and make sense of the data he was collecting.