sof-Lemaitre Archives - Vatican Observatory Foundation Faith and Science

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) and the Hubble–Lemaître law

Article (2) 1900 words (total) Level: all audiences In October 2018 the International Astronomical Union voted overwhelmingly to change the name of the “Hubble law” (relating distance and velocity in the universe’s expansion) to the “Hubble–Lemaître law”, thus including the name of Fr. Georges Lemaître in the law. These are two articles from the prominent journals Science and Nature discussing the IAU vote. Click here for an article on the vote from Nature. Click here for an article on the vote from Science. … Continue reading →

Who Discovered the Expanding Universe

Article 22 pages Level: university Historians of science Helge Kragh and Robert W. Smith provide an overview of the discovery of the expanding universe and who might be credited with making that discovery. They argue that, while Edwin Hubble is generally credited with the discovery of the expansion of the universe, and while a number of different scientists did in fact contribute to the discovery in significant ways, in fact Fr. Georges Lemaître discovered the expansion of the universe, insofar as he gave theoretical and observational reasons for it. (Lemaître would go on to become a member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences in 1936, and to serve as its president from 1960 until his death in 1966). Hubble, meanwhile was ambivilant towards the whole concept of an expanding universe. Kragh and Smith also discuss why Hubble is credited with the discovery. They trace the history of how Hubble’s role in the discovery was elevated, “at the expense of everyone … Continue reading →

Robert Scherrer – Georges Lemaitre’s Contributions to Cosmology

Video 27 minutes Level: high school and above Cosmologist Robert Scherrer of Vanderbilt University discusses Albert Einstein, Vesto Slipher, Alexander Friedmann, Fr. Georges Lemaitre, and how the idea of the expansion of the universe came into being. The focus of the talk, given at the inaugural conference of the Society of Catholic Scientists, is the ideas and work of Fr. Lemaitre. Scherrer argues that Fr. Lemaitre was ahead of his time in a number of ways. Click here for an article from Our Sunday Visitor entitled “Catholic scientists discuss faith’s role in work”, on the first conference of the Society of Catholic Scientists—“Origins”—held April 21-23, 2017 in Chicago. Click here for the Society of Catholic Scientists “Origins” conference page. … Continue reading →

Lemaître: Science and Religion

To appreciate the contribution which Georges Lemai?tre made to the relationship between religion and science it is necessary to understand how the Catholic Church passed from a position of conflict to one of compatible openness and dialogue; the natural sciences have played a significant role in helping to establish the kind of dialogue that is absolutely necessary for the enrichment of the multifaceted aspects of human culture.

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Georges Lemaître: Life, Science and Legacy

Book 200 pages Level: university Georges Lemaître: Life, Science and Legacy (Berlin: Springer Verlag, 2012) edited by R. D. Holder, and S. Mitton, examines in detail the historical, cosmological, philosophical and theological issues surrounding the development of the Big Bang theory by Fr. Lemaître, from its beginnings in the pioneering work of Lemaître through to the modern day. From the publisher’s site: The year 2011 marked the 80th anniversary of Georges Lemaître’s primeval atom model of the universe, forerunner of the modern day Big Bang theory. Prompted by this momentous anniversary the Royal Astronomical Society decided to publish a volume of essays on the life, work and faith of this great cosmologist, who was also a Roman Catholic priest. The papers presented in this book examine in detail the historical, cosmological, philosophical and theological issues surrounding the development of the Big Bang theory from its beginnings in the pioneering work of Lemaître through to the modern day. This book offers the best account in … Continue reading →

Georges Lemaître: Father of the “Big Bang”

A post by Fr. James Kurzynski on The Catholic Astronomer about Georges Lemaître, who devised the Big Bang theory.