1900: A physics genius wandering around Europe

Chapter 444: Island Theory vs. Galaxy Theory! Shocking reversal! Shocking the whole audience!
An exciting debate is about to begin at the American Museum of Natural History.

Among the thousands of spectators present were scientists, engineers, and many more ordinary people.

But no matter who they are, as long as they are normal human beings, they will have the same hobbies.

That is curiosity about the universe and the starry sky.

Astronomers' understanding of the universe has evolved from geocentrism to heliocentrism, and then to the current Milky Way.

Thousands of years have passed.

How many touching stories happened during this period.

Li Qiwei's speech stimulated the imagination and curiosity of everyone present.

“How big is our universe?”

And today, perhaps we will discuss and come up with a final answer.

After Li Qiwei finished his speech, he returned to his seat.

He will form a jury with astronomy giants such as Hale to evaluate the content of the debate between the two people on the stage.

At this moment, everyone's attention was focused on both sides of the debate.

It's on the verge!
Shapley took a deep breath and let it out quickly.

He spoke first in this debate.

Looking at the densely packed heads of people below the stage, Shapley felt a warmth surging through his body.

As a rising star in the field of astronomy, Shapley, 35, is a model of young talent.

After graduating from college, he went to Princeton University to study under the American astronomer, Henry Russell.

Under the guidance of the other party, he calculated the distances between stars and was the first to propose that "the solar system is not at the center of the Milky Way."

This achievement made the young Shapley instantly famous in the astronomical community.

But this is not enough!
Because before him, someone had proposed a similar idea a long time ago.

Therefore, although this result was shocking, it was far from satisfying Shapley.

He has even bigger ambitions.

And today, he will use his research results to prove that the Milky Way is the entire universe!

This will end astronomers' understanding of the universe for thousands of years.

Shapley began:
“There are many non-astronomy majors here today.”

“So, I will explain my point of view in very easy-to-understand language, just like Professor Bruce.”

"There are actually only two core issues at the cosmic scale.

"The first is the size and shape of the Milky Way."

"The second is the distance between other unknown celestial bodies and the Earth."

"Today's debate will also revolve around two aspects."

"Before I explain my theory, I would like to introduce the so-called island universe theory."

"The biggest evidence for Mr. Curtis and many astronomers to stick to the island universe theory is the so-called spiral nebula."

"A nebula is a celestial body that looks like a cloud."

"It's a general term in astronomy that can refer to any diffuse object."

"For example, a single object made up of tenuous gas and dust."

"Or, as the island universe theory suggests, each nebula is a galaxy similar to the Milky Way."

"And a spiral nebula means that the shape of the nebula is spiral."

"Astronomers have observed the existence of spiral nebulae through telescopes a long time ago."

"After hundreds of years of accumulation, more than 10 spiral nebulae have been discovered."

"Many astronomers wonder, how is it possible that so many nebulae are all in the Milky Way?"

“So, the island universe theory came into being.”

“But this requires evidence.”

"And to prove this, all we have to do is measure how far away these nebulae are from Earth."

"Because according to the data of supporters of the island universe theory, the diameter of the Milky Way is 3 light years."

"A light year is the straight-line distance that light travels in one year."

"So if the nebulae are more than 3 light-years away, that means they are definitely outside our galaxy."

"Even if we can't prove that the spiral galaxy is the same galaxy as the Milky Way, at least it breaks the view that the Milky Way is the entire universe."

"And this evidence comes from Mr. Curtis."

"In 1917, he discovered a special type of celestial body in the spiral nebula, called a nova."

"The so-called nova can be figuratively understood as a bright star."

"The brightness of a nova is inversely proportional to the square of the observation distance."

"So it can be used to measure the distances between celestial bodies in the universe, and is also called a [standard candle]."

"Using this principle, Mr. Curtis first measured the diameter of the Milky Way to be 3 light years."

"He then calculated that the distance between the nebula and the Earth was more than 20 light-years."

"This proves that these nebulae are outside the Milky Way."

"The above is the general content of the cosmic island theory."

Wow!
Shapley's opening speech gave everyone present a sense of sudden enlightenment.

Astronomy, which was once considered mysterious by everyone, has suddenly become down-to-earth.

"So this is the origin of the island universe theory."

"From this perspective, astronomy is quite simple. It just involves measuring distances."

"Haha, you think that other people's measurements are the same as you using a ruler to measure the length of your feet."

“That’s thousands and thousands of pieces of raw data that need to be collected and calculated.”

“And it also requires a lot of clever methods.”

After everyone had joked about it, they suddenly discovered a problem.

Why didn't Shapley start by talking about his own theory, but instead clearly and logically expounded on his opponent's theory?

Hai Er smiled at Li Qiwei and other big guys:
"This young man Shapley is a very good man."

"He wanted to prove his own theory in disguise by overturning Curtis's theory."

“It will have more impact this way.”

Sure enough, just as he finished speaking, Shapley continued:
"And what I'm saying is that Mr. Curtis's approach is wrong."

"He used novae as a measuring tool, and his measurement of the diameter of the Milky Way was inaccurate."

"Next, I will introduce the methods I used: cluster variables and globular clusters."

Wow!
Everyone exclaimed!

The debate has just begun and it is already very heated!
The show is about to begin.

Although many people present did not understand what Shapley said.

But it doesn't stop them from being very impressive.

"Wow, just because Shapley can use so many professional terms, I have to admire him."

"He looks like a master in astronomy."

The best strategy in public debates is never to refute the other party, but to incite the audience's emotions and create strong off-site pressure.

Sometimes, the cheers from the audience are far more important than logic.

At this time, many people involuntarily turned their eyes to Curtis on the other side.

I was worried about him.

To everyone's surprise, Shapley knew Curtis inside and out.

To use a Chinese proverb, knowing yourself and your enemy will ensure victory in every battle.

It was obvious that Shapley came prepared and was very aggressive.

However, facing the pressure of everyone's gaze, Curtis's face did not show the panic that one might imagine.

He seemed to be completely unconcerned about his opponent's analysis. He looked calm and composed, as if he had everything under control.

This puzzled everyone.

"Could it be that Curtis has some hidden tricks?"

Shapley also noticed the other person's expression.

The doubt in my heart only flashed by.

He never underestimated any opponent.

Curtis is even a professor of astronomy, so it is impossible for the opponent to lose easily.

Moreover, he was well aware that the cheers and support from most of the audience meant nothing.

Because there are not only ordinary people present today, but also many astronomy predecessors and big names.

There are also great people like Professor Bruce.

Therefore, he must use all his strength to defeat the opponent head-on.

"Besides, Curtis, even if you have a trump card, don't I have one?"

At this moment, Shapley was full of confidence. He continued:
"If we want to measure the diameter of the Milky Way more accurately, we should first understand its structure."

"But there are more than 100 billion stars in the Milky Way. It is unrealistic to count such an astronomical number one by one."

"So, I thought of another way, which is to detect the [skeleton] of the Milky Way."

"For example, we can roughly judge a person's height, weight, and body type based on the structure of his bones."

"Similarly, for the Milky Way, its skeleton is the [globular cluster]."

"A star cluster is a group of stars consisting of tens of thousands to millions of stars."

"They are bright in the night sky and are easily visible through a telescope."

"And the so-called globular cluster, as the name suggests, is a cluster of stars that is spherical in shape."

"There are currently more than 100 such globular clusters in the Milky Way."

"If we can measure the distances between them, and their distances from Earth, we can map the shape and size of the entire Milky Way."

"And my measurement is divided into two steps."

"The first step is to find cluster variables in each globular cluster and use them as standard candles to measure the distance of the globular cluster to the Earth."

"The second step is, if no cluster variable stars can be found in some globular clusters, then the entire globular cluster can be regarded as a standard candle."

"Then we use the globular clusters with known distances to estimate the distances to the more distant globular clusters."

"Finally, I measured the distances to all of these more than 100 globular clusters."

"We found the size and shape of the Milky Way."

"According to my measurements, the Milky Way is a disk structure with a diameter of 30 light years and a thickness of 3 light years."

"So, such a huge range is enough to accommodate the entire universe."

"The nebulae discovered in the universe island theory are only 20 light-years away from Earth and are still within the Milky Way."

"They are not so-called galaxies, but rather newly born stars."

"Because the origin of stars comes from the accumulation of dust in the universe."

"And the nebula is the initial state of the star."

"That's my point."

Wow!
When Shapley finished his speech, it caused a sensation in the audience.

Because his method is obviously more meticulous than Curtis's.

He drew the shape of the Milky Way, not only giving the diameter but also the width.

The onlookers immediately shouted 666.

"It turns out that the Milky Way galaxy we live in is a big plate."

"And the solar system is right at the edge of the disk."

"Oh my God! How long will it take to walk three hundred thousand light years?"

"Don't even think about it. I'm afraid you won't be able to walk this distance even if you walk until the day the universe explodes."

"The Milky Way is this big. If the island universe theory is correct, there must be 100,000 galaxies this big."

"Oh my God! This is simply a fantasy! It is really hard to imagine."

Everyone was talking about it.

Yu Qingsong sat behind Li Qiwei. He looked at the photo of the universe projected by Shapley in front of him, feeling mixed emotions.

A good astronomer must have a good telescope, and a good telescope must be installed in a good observatory.

Because of the earth's clouds, weather and other factors, the location of the observatory is very carefully selected.

The reason why Mount Wilson Observatory is so awesome is that it is in a very good location, and the pictures it takes are both clear and stable.

Therefore, many important astronomical results are published there.

Whenever I think of Hubble standing on the Mount Wilson Observatory, using the 2.5-meter-diameter super-large telescope to look up at the starry sky.

Yu Qingsong felt envious.

"Now President Gao Lu's choice of Purple Mountain Observatory has been frustrated."

"And there are no large professional telescopes in the country."

“There is still a long way to go for the development of domestic astronomy!”

"I will try my best to solve these two problems after I return to China."

Yu Qingsong made up his mind secretly.

He has enough confidence because China has Professor Li.

Li Qiwei did not feel the fiery gaze of the young man behind him.

He thought Shapley's speech was really good.

At least it gave him a deeper understanding of the details of astronomy.

At the same time, he suddenly felt a little emotional.

In Li Qiwei's previous life, UNESCO once published a list of seven basic disciplines.

They are: mathematics, physics, chemistry, life sciences, astronomy and astrophysics, geography and space sciences, and logic.

All other applied disciplines are based on the above seven basic disciplines and are derivative disciplines.

This shows the importance of astronomy.

However, for a long time, China paid little attention to astronomy.

Because it is useless and not as practical as meteorology. At least it can predict the weather.

Astronomy studies celestial bodies and the universe all day long, which sounds very grand, but has no impact on daily life.

So it is a marginal subject.

However, listening to the debate live today, I felt the cheers and discussions of countless people around me.

Li Qiwei's heart suddenly surged.

Throughout the ages, countless kings, princes, generals and ministers have fought for the Central Plains and looked down upon the world.

It looks like a thrilling epic.

However, in front of the solar system, in front of the Milky Way, and even in front of the entire universe.

What are they?

Even the Earth is not even a drop in the ocean.

Who cares about a hack-and-slash game played by some two-legged creatures on a planet in the vast universe?

But the ultimate secrets of physics and astronomy permeate the entire universe.

If there were something that could unlock these secrets and contain the entire universe.

There must be only one.

It is Ridgeway's thought!

"My future is the sea of ​​stars!"

Just when Li Qiwei was showing off in the air, he was suddenly awakened by Hai Er next to him.

"Hey, Professor Bruce, are you thinking about Shapley's results as well?"

Haier is very proud now.

As one of his researchers, Shapley's performance today was outstanding.

The skeleton map of the Milky Way drawn by the other party really amazed the astronomers present.

This picture took at least five or six years of work.

And the data must be recorded every day.

Thanks to the emergence of astronomical photography technology.

Today's astronomers don't need to stay next to a telescope all the time.

So, this gives them the possibility to measure a lot of data.

However, even with the help of astrophotography technology, being an astronomer is still a highly intensive profession.

Staying up all night is a common occurrence.

And in astronomy, data is everything.

Whoever has more data will have more accurate data.

Clearly, in this respect, Shapley's globular clusters surpass Curtis's novae.

In this round, it seems that the former won.

That's why Hai Er showed a relieved smile.

He became even more excited when he saw Li Qiwei next to him also in deep thought.

He thought Professor Bruce was also impressed by Shapley's results.

You know, many years ago, Professor Bruce publicly stated that he supported the island universe theory.

Of course, don't say that Professor Bruce is just a physicist, he can say whatever he wants.

Even in the astronomical community, there are many people who support the island universe theory for no reason.

There is no other reason, I just feel it is of high quality and worthy of the concept of the universe which encompasses everything.

However, in the face of Shapley's powerful data, will the other party change their mind?
Haier is looking forward to this.

Li Qiwei heard this, smiled and said:
“Shapley’s results are great.”

"It seems he put a lot of effort into it."

"However, Curtis seems to be very confident. I'm afraid he won't win so easily."

Sure enough, Hale looked at Curtis and saw that the other party was not at all frightened by Shapley's sharp attack.

Instead, he was drawing something with his head down.

At this time, everyone's eyes were focused on Curtis.

Now, it's his turn.

No one thought Curtis would admit defeat without saying a word.

Soon, under the gaze of everyone, Curtis raised his head.

Snapped!
The projector turned back on.

Curtis said as he showed the content.

He spoke confidently:
"Mr. Shapley said that the distances I calculated using novae as standard candles were wrong."

"Unfortunately, that was my old data."

"Over the years, I have re-selected another type of celestial body, a yellow dwarf star, to serve as a standard candle."

"Please see, after using yellow dwarf stars as standard candles, the diameter of the Milky Way I calculated is still 3 light years."

“This is exactly consistent with the Nova results.”

"So, although Mr. Shapley had more data, I used two methods to measure it."

"I don't think my data is less credible than the other side."

Wow!
As soon as Curtis finished answering, there was an exclamation in the hall.

Everyone was stunned by his powerful counterattack.

"Oh my God! Curtis actually prepared another set of measurement data."

"He has calculated the consequences that Shapley has already had against him."

"No wonder he seemed unconcerned when Shapley was analyzing his results just now."

"You are only challenging my past. My future is still invincible!"

"Wonderful! So wonderful!"

Everyone was instantly attracted by Curtis.

Sure enough, ginger is still spicy.

Curtis, 48 ​​years old this year, suddenly looks like a shrewd and calculating person.

These are the spectators. They will support whoever is awesome.

Dyson was very happy to see Curtis's counterattack.

Because Hai'er was so proud just now, which made him feel very unhappy.

And now, the other party is finally going to suffer a defeat.

Sure enough, after Hai Er heard this, his expression looked a little strange.

Who would have thought that the two giants of astronomy would be competing with each other like little kids.

Li Qiwei just smiled at the two of them.

The social attributes of this debate are far greater than its academic attributes.

The audience's support and cheers actually added a lot of charm to the debate.

However, just when everyone thought Curtis's counterattack was over.

Unexpectedly, he spoke again immediately afterwards.

"In addition to the above data, I have another piece of evidence to share."

Snapped!
A beautiful photo appears.

"Now, the picture you see is a picture of a spiral nebula."

"According to the astronomical number, this spiral nebula is classified as M31, also known as the M31 Nebula."

"It also has a popular name, the Andromeda Galaxy." (The Andromeda Galaxy in later generations)
"Through observations, we have found that the probability of discovering a new star near the M31 nebula is much higher than in other areas of the sky."

"The so-called celestial region is the range of the starry sky that can be observed on Earth, divided into regions."

"Also, the brightness of novae that appear in other parts of the sky is similar."

"But only near the M31 nebula, the brightness of the nova is much dimmer."

"If we consider the M31 nebula to be the same galaxy as the Milky Way, this phenomenon can be explained."

"That's my answer."

Wow!
Curtis shocked everyone again.

He actually threw out another direct evidence.

Although many people don’t know why the dimming of the nova proves that the M31 nebula is not in the Milky Way,

But looking at the equally shocked expressions of the big guys in the front row, everyone knows that this evidence is absolutely heavyweight.

The situation reversed instantly!

Shapley's thunderous attack was easily resolved by Curtis.

Not only that, the latter even put more pressure on the former.

Everyone was once again impressed by Curtis's strength.

"Oh my god! This debate is so heated."

"It's just the beginning, and it feels like both sides have already started to use their big moves."

And the big guys are all thinking seriously about Curtis's data and conclusions.

I have to say that the two pieces of evidence provided by the other party were too powerful.

"Shapley looks like he's in danger!"

Sure enough, at this moment, Shapley's face showed a rare expression of emotion.

However, he got it under control almost in an instant.

Because he also has his own trump card!
Right now in the entire hall, Li Qiwei was probably the only one who seemed very calm.

Looking at Curtis's results, he just nodded slightly, just like before.

I even started joking in my mind.

"I wonder if Curtis has discovered the M78 nebula."

"Tiga!"

(End of this chapter)