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href="https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%86%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%B4_%D9%83%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%B1_(%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%85_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%81%D9%84%D9%83)" title="نقاش كبير (علم الفلك) – Arabic" lang="ar" hreflang="ar" data-title="نقاش كبير (علم الفلك)" data-language-autonym="العربية" data-language-local-name="Arabic" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>العربية</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-cs mw-list-item"><a href="https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velk%C3%A1_debata" title="Velká debata – Czech" lang="cs" hreflang="cs" data-title="Velká debata" data-language-autonym="Čeština" data-language-local-name="Czech" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Čeština</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-de mw-list-item"><a href="https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shapley-Curtis-Debatte" title="Shapley-Curtis-Debatte – German" lang="de" hreflang="de" data-title="Shapley-Curtis-Debatte" data-language-autonym="Deutsch" data-language-local-name="German" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Deutsch</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-es mw-list-item"><a href="https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gran_Debate" title="Gran Debate – Spanish" lang="es" hreflang="es" data-title="Gran Debate" data-language-autonym="Español" data-language-local-name="Spanish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Español</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fr mw-list-item"><a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_D%C3%A9bat_(astronomie)" title="Grand Débat (astronomie) – French" lang="fr" hreflang="fr" data-title="Grand Débat (astronomie)" data-language-autonym="Français" data-language-local-name="French" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Français</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ko mw-list-item"><a href="https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/%EB%8C%80%EB%85%BC%EC%9F%81_(%EC%B2%9C%EB%AC%B8%ED%95%99)" title="대논쟁 (천문학) – Korean" lang="ko" hreflang="ko" data-title="대논쟁 (천문학)" data-language-autonym="한국어" data-language-local-name="Korean" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>한국어</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-hy mw-list-item"><a href="https://hy.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D5%84%D5%A5%D5%AE_%D5%A2%D5%A1%D5%B6%D5%A1%D5%BE%D5%A5%D5%B3_(%D5%A1%D5%BD%D5%BF%D5%B2%D5%A1%D5%A3%D5%AB%D5%BF%D5%B8%D6%82%D5%A9%D5%B5%D5%B8%D6%82%D5%B6)" title="Մեծ բանավեճ (աստղագիտություն) – Armenian" lang="hy" hreflang="hy" data-title="Մեծ բանավեճ (աստղագիտություն)" data-language-autonym="Հայերեն" data-language-local-name="Armenian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Հայերեն</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-it mw-list-item"><a href="https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grande_Dibattito" title="Grande Dibattito – Italian" lang="it" hreflang="it" data-title="Grande Dibattito" data-language-autonym="Italiano" data-language-local-name="Italian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Italiano</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-he mw-list-item"><a href="https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%94%D7%95%D7%95%D7%99%D7%9B%D7%95%D7%97_%D7%94%D7%92%D7%93%D7%95%D7%9C" title="הוויכוח הגדול – Hebrew" lang="he" hreflang="he" data-title="הוויכוח הגדול" data-language-autonym="עברית" data-language-local-name="Hebrew" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>עברית</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-lv mw-list-item"><a href="https://lv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liel%C4%81s_debates" title="Lielās debates – Latvian" lang="lv" hreflang="lv" data-title="Lielās debates" data-language-autonym="Latviešu" data-language-local-name="Latvian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Latviešu</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-lb mw-list-item"><a href="https://lb.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shapley-Curtis-Debatt" title="Shapley-Curtis-Debatt – Luxembourgish" lang="lb" hreflang="lb" data-title="Shapley-Curtis-Debatt" data-language-autonym="Lëtzebuergesch" data-language-local-name="Luxembourgish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Lëtzebuergesch</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-hu mw-list-item"><a href="https://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shapley%E2%80%93Curtis-vita" title="Shapley–Curtis-vita – Hungarian" lang="hu" hreflang="hu" data-title="Shapley–Curtis-vita" data-language-autonym="Magyar" data-language-local-name="Hungarian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Magyar</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-xmf mw-list-item"><a href="https://xmf.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E1%83%93%E1%83%98%E1%83%93%E1%83%98_%E1%83%93%E1%83%94%E1%83%91%E1%83%90%E1%83%A2%E1%83%98" title="დიდი დებატი – Mingrelian" lang="xmf" hreflang="xmf" data-title="დიდი დებატი" data-language-autonym="მარგალური" data-language-local-name="Mingrelian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>მარგალური</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ja badge-Q17437798 badge-goodarticle mw-list-item" title="good article badge"><a href="https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%A4%A7%E8%AB%96%E4%BA%89_(%E5%A4%A9%E6%96%87%E5%AD%A6)" title="大論争 (天文学) – Japanese" lang="ja" hreflang="ja" data-title="大論争 (天文学)" data-language-autonym="日本語" data-language-local-name="Japanese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>日本語</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-no mw-list-item"><a href="https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Den_store_debatten" title="Den store debatten – Norwegian Bokmål" lang="nb" hreflang="nb" data-title="Den store debatten" data-language-autonym="Norsk bokmål" data-language-local-name="Norwegian Bokmål" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Norsk bokmål</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pl mw-list-item"><a href="https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wielka_Debata" title="Wielka Debata – Polish" lang="pl" hreflang="pl" data-title="Wielka Debata" data-language-autonym="Polski" data-language-local-name="Polish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Polski</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pt mw-list-item"><a href="https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grande_Debate_(astronomia)" title="Grande Debate (astronomia) – Portuguese" lang="pt" hreflang="pt" data-title="Grande Debate (astronomia)" data-language-autonym="Português" data-language-local-name="Portuguese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Português</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ru badge-Q17437798 badge-goodarticle mw-list-item" title="good article badge"><a href="https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%91%D0%BE%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%88%D0%BE%D0%B9_%D1%81%D0%BF%D0%BE%D1%80" title="Большой спор – Russian" lang="ru" hreflang="ru" data-title="Большой спор" data-language-autonym="Русский" data-language-local-name="Russian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Русский</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fi mw-list-item"><a href="https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suuri_v%C3%A4ittely" title="Suuri väittely – Finnish" lang="fi" hreflang="fi" data-title="Suuri väittely" data-language-autonym="Suomi" data-language-local-name="Finnish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Suomi</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sv mw-list-item"><a href="https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shapley-Curtisdebatten" title="Shapley-Curtisdebatten – Swedish" lang="sv" hreflang="sv" data-title="Shapley-Curtisdebatten" data-language-autonym="Svenska" data-language-local-name="Swedish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Svenska</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-tr mw-list-item"><a href="https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%BCy%C3%BCk_Tart%C4%B1%C5%9Fma" title="Büyük Tartışma – Turkish" lang="tr" hreflang="tr" data-title="Büyük Tartışma" data-language-autonym="Türkçe" data-language-local-name="Turkish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Türkçe</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-uk mw-list-item"><a href="https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%92%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D0%B4%D0%B8%D1%81%D0%BF%D1%83%D1%82" title="Великий диспут – Ukrainian" lang="uk" hreflang="uk" data-title="Великий диспут" data-language-autonym="Українська" data-language-local-name="Ukrainian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Українська</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-vi mw-list-item"><a href="https://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tranh_lu%E1%BA%ADn_Shapley%E2%80%93Curtis" title="Tranh luận Shapley–Curtis – Vietnamese" lang="vi" hreflang="vi" data-title="Tranh luận Shapley–Curtis" data-language-autonym="Tiếng Việt" data-language-local-name="Vietnamese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Tiếng Việt</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-zh mw-list-item"><a href="https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%B2%99%E6%99%AE%E5%88%A9-%E6%9F%AF%E8%92%82%E6%96%AF%E4%B9%8B%E4%BA%89" title="沙普利-柯蒂斯之争 – Chinese" lang="zh" hreflang="zh" data-title="沙普利-柯蒂斯之争" 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<div id="contentSub"><div id="mw-content-subtitle"></div></div> <div id="mw-content-text" class="mw-body-content"><div class="mw-content-ltr mw-parser-output" lang="en" dir="ltr"><div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none">1920 debate between Harlow Shapley and Heber Curtis on whether there were other galaxies</div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236090951">.mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .hatnote{display:none!important}}</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">For other topics known as "great debates", see <a href="/wiki/Great_Debate_(disambiguation)" class="mw-redirect mw-disambig" title="Great Debate (disambiguation)">Great Debate (disambiguation)</a>.</div><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1237032888/mw-parser-output/.tmulti">.mw-parser-output .tmulti .multiimageinner{display:flex;flex-direction:column}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .trow{display:flex;flex-direction:row;clear:left;flex-wrap:wrap;width:100%;box-sizing:border-box}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .tsingle{margin:1px;float:left}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .theader{clear:both;font-weight:bold;text-align:center;align-self:center;background-color:transparent;width:100%}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .thumbcaption{background-color:transparent}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .text-align-left{text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .text-align-right{text-align:right}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .text-align-center{text-align:center}@media all and (max-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .tmulti .thumbinner{width:100%!important;box-sizing:border-box;max-width:none!important;align-items:center}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .trow{justify-content:center}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .tsingle{float:none!important;max-width:100%!important;box-sizing:border-box;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .tsingle .thumbcaption{text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .trow>.thumbcaption{text-align:center}}@media screen{html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .tmulti .multiimageinner img{background-color:white}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .tmulti .multiimageinner img{background-color:white}}</style><div class="thumb tmulti tright"><div class="thumbinner multiimageinner" style="width:342px;max-width:342px"><div class="trow"><div class="tsingle" style="width:156px;max-width:156px"><div class="thumbimage" style="height:224px;overflow:hidden"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:HarlowShapley-crop.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b4/HarlowShapley-crop.jpg/154px-HarlowShapley-crop.jpg" decoding="async" width="154" height="225" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b4/HarlowShapley-crop.jpg/231px-HarlowShapley-crop.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/HarlowShapley-crop.jpg 2x" data-file-width="283" data-file-height="413" /></a></span></div><div class="thumbcaption"><a href="/wiki/Harlow_Shapley" title="Harlow Shapley">Harlow Shapley</a> (1885 –1972)</div></div><div class="tsingle" style="width:182px;max-width:182px"><div class="thumbimage" style="height:224px;overflow:hidden"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Heber_Doust_Curtis_NBS_1918.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/Heber_Doust_Curtis_NBS_1918.jpg/180px-Heber_Doust_Curtis_NBS_1918.jpg" decoding="async" width="180" height="225" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/Heber_Doust_Curtis_NBS_1918.jpg/270px-Heber_Doust_Curtis_NBS_1918.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/Heber_Doust_Curtis_NBS_1918.jpg/360px-Heber_Doust_Curtis_NBS_1918.jpg 2x" data-file-width="605" data-file-height="756" /></a></span></div><div class="thumbcaption"><a href="/wiki/Heber_Doust_Curtis" title="Heber Doust Curtis">Heber Doust Curtis</a> (1872–1942)</div></div></div></div></div> <p>The <b>Great Debate</b>, also called the <b>Shapley–Curtis Debate</b>, was held on 26 April 1920 at the <a href="/wiki/National_Museum_of_Natural_History" title="National Museum of Natural History">Smithsonian Museum of Natural History</a>, between the astronomers <a href="/wiki/Harlow_Shapley" title="Harlow Shapley">Harlow Shapley</a> and <a href="/wiki/Heber_Curtis" class="mw-redirect" title="Heber Curtis">Heber Curtis</a>. It concerned the nature of so-called <a href="/wiki/Spiral_galaxy#Spiral_nebula" title="Spiral galaxy">spiral nebulae</a> and the size of the <a href="/wiki/Universe" title="Universe">Universe</a>. Shapley believed that these nebulae were relatively small and lay within the outskirts of the <a href="/wiki/Milky_Way" title="Milky Way">Milky Way galaxy</a> (then thought to be the entire Universe), while Curtis held that they were in fact independent galaxies, implying that they were exceedingly large and distant. </p><p>The two scientists first presented independent technical papers about "The Scale of the Universe" during the day and then took part in a joint discussion that evening. Much of the lore of the Great Debate grew out of two papers published by Shapley and by Curtis in the May 1921 issue of the <i>Bulletin of the National Research Council</i>. The published papers each included counterarguments to the position advocated by the other scientist at the 1920 meeting.<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>In the aftermath of the public debate, scientists have been able to verify individual pieces of evidence from both astronomers, but on the main point of the existence of other galaxies, Curtis has been proven correct. </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Arguments">Arguments</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Great_Debate_(astronomy)&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Arguments"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:PSM_V60_D298_Great_nebula_in_andromeda.png" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/95/PSM_V60_D298_Great_nebula_in_andromeda.png/250px-PSM_V60_D298_Great_nebula_in_andromeda.png" decoding="async" width="250" height="313" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/95/PSM_V60_D298_Great_nebula_in_andromeda.png/375px-PSM_V60_D298_Great_nebula_in_andromeda.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/95/PSM_V60_D298_Great_nebula_in_andromeda.png/500px-PSM_V60_D298_Great_nebula_in_andromeda.png 2x" data-file-width="1680" data-file-height="2101" /></a><figcaption>The "Great Spiral Nebula" in the <a href="/wiki/Andromeda_(constellation)" title="Andromeda (constellation)">constellation Andromeda</a> (1902 photograph). The <i>Debate</i> was over whether this was a cloud of gas and dust or a distant galaxy.</figcaption></figure> <p>Shapley presented the case that the <a href="/wiki/Milky_Way" title="Milky Way">Milky Way</a> is the entirety of the Universe.<sup id="cite_ref-Webb_2-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Webb-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> He argued that "<a href="/wiki/Spiral_galaxy#Spiral_nebula" title="Spiral galaxy">spiral nebulae</a>" such as <a href="/wiki/Andromeda_Galaxy" title="Andromeda Galaxy">Andromeda</a> were simply part of the Milky Way. He backed up this claim by appealing to their relative sizes—if Andromeda were not part of the Milky Way, then its distance must have been on the order of 10<sup>8</sup> <a href="/wiki/Light_years" class="mw-redirect" title="Light years">light years</a>—a span most contemporary <a href="/wiki/Astronomer" title="Astronomer">astronomers</a> would not accept. Shapley cited the work of <a href="/wiki/Adriaan_van_Maanen" title="Adriaan van Maanen">Adriaan van Maanen</a>, a well-respected astronomer of the time, as providing evidence supporting Shapley's argument. Van Maanen had claimed he had observed the <a href="/wiki/Pinwheel_Galaxy" title="Pinwheel Galaxy">Pinwheel Galaxy</a> rotating,<sup id="cite_ref-Webb_2-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Webb-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and that if the Pinwheel Galaxy were in fact a distinct galaxy and could be observed to be rotating on a timescale of years, its orbital velocity would be enormous and there would be a violation of the universal speed limit, the <a href="/wiki/Speed_of_light_in_vacuum" class="mw-redirect" title="Speed of light in vacuum">speed of light in vacuum</a>. Shapley also backed up his claims with the observation of a <a href="/wiki/Nova" title="Nova">nova</a> in the Andromeda "nebula" that had briefly outshone the entire nebula, constituting a seemingly impossible output of energy were Andromeda in fact a separate galaxy.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (July 2021)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p><p>Curtis, on the other hand, contended that Andromeda and other such "nebulae" were separate galaxies, or "<a href="/wiki/Island_universe" class="mw-redirect" title="Island universe">island universes</a>" (a term invented by the 18th-century philosopher <a href="/wiki/Immanuel_Kant" title="Immanuel Kant">Immanuel Kant</a>, who also argued that the "spiral nebulae" were extragalactic).<sup id="cite_ref-herber88_3-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-herber88-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> He showed that there were more novae in Andromeda than in the Milky Way. From this, he could ask why there were more novae in one small section of the galaxy than the other sections of the galaxy, if Andromeda were not a separate galaxy but simply a nebula within Earth's galaxy. This led to supporting Andromeda as a separate galaxy with its own signature age and rate of nova occurrences.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (July 2021)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> Curtis also noted the large <a href="/wiki/Radial_velocity" title="Radial velocity">radial velocities</a> of spiral nebulae that suggested they could not be <a href="/wiki/Gravitationally_bound" class="mw-redirect" title="Gravitationally bound">gravitationally bound</a> to the Milky Way in a <a href="/wiki/Jacobus_Kapteyn" title="Jacobus Kapteyn">Kapteyn</a>-model universe.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTECarrollOstlie2017941_4-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTECarrollOstlie2017941-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In addition, he cited <a href="/wiki/Great_Rift_(astronomy)" title="Great Rift (astronomy)">dark lanes</a> present in other galaxies similar to the <a href="/wiki/Cosmic_dust" title="Cosmic dust">dust clouds</a> found in Earth's own galaxy, explaining the <a href="/wiki/Zone_of_avoidance" class="mw-redirect" title="Zone of avoidance">zone of avoidance</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTECarrollOstlie2017942_5-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTECarrollOstlie2017942-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Curtis stated that if van Maanen's observation of the <a href="/wiki/Pinwheel_Galaxy" title="Pinwheel Galaxy">Pinwheel Galaxy</a> rotating were correct, he himself would have been wrong about the scale of the Universe and that the Milky Way would fully encompass it. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="After_the_debate">After the debate</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Great_Debate_(astronomy)&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: After the debate"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Later in the 1920s, <a href="/wiki/Edwin_Hubble" title="Edwin Hubble">Edwin Hubble</a> showed that Andromeda was far outside the Milky Way by measuring <a href="/wiki/Cepheid_variable" title="Cepheid variable">Cepheid variable</a> stars, proving that Curtis was correct.<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> It is now known that the Milky Way is only one of as many as an estimated 200 billion (<span class="nowrap"><span data-sort-value="7011200000000000000♠"></span>2<span style="margin-left:0.25em;margin-right:0.15em;">×</span>10<sup>11</sup></span>)<sup id="cite_ref-apj624_2_7-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-apj624_2-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> to 2 trillion (<span class="nowrap"><span data-sort-value="7012200000000000000♠"></span>2<span style="margin-left:0.25em;margin-right:0.15em;">×</span>10<sup>12</sup></span>) or more galaxies in the observable Universe.<sup id="cite_ref-Conselice_8-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Conselice-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-NYT-20161017_9-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-NYT-20161017-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Also, astronomers generally accept that the nova Shapley referred to in his arguments was in fact a <a href="/wiki/Supernova" title="Supernova">supernova</a>, which does indeed temporarily outshine the combined output of an entire galaxy. On other points, the results were mixed (the actual size of the Milky Way is in between the sizes proposed by Shapley and Curtis), or in favor of Shapley (the <a href="/wiki/Sun" title="Sun">Sun</a> was near the center of the galaxy in Curtis's model, while Shapley correctly placed the Sun in the outer regions of the galaxy).<sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>It later became apparent that van Maanen's observations were incorrect—one cannot actually see the <a href="/wiki/Pinwheel_Galaxy" title="Pinwheel Galaxy">Pinwheel Galaxy</a> rotate during a <a href="/wiki/Life_expectancy" title="Life expectancy">human lifespan</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTECarrollOstlie2017942_5-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTECarrollOstlie2017942-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Other_Great_Debates">Other Great Debates</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Great_Debate_(astronomy)&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Other Great Debates"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The format of the great debate has been used subsequently to argue the nature of fundamental questions in astronomy. In honor of the first "Great Debate", the Smithsonian has hosted four more events.<sup id="cite_ref-11" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Great_Debate_(astronomy)&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist reflist-columns references-column-width" style="column-width: 30em;"> <ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-1">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://apod.nasa.gov/htmltest/gifcity/cs_nrc.html">"NRC Transcripts of `Great Debate' Page"</a>. <i>apod.nasa.gov</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2024-03-29</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=apod.nasa.gov&rft.atitle=NRC+Transcripts+of+%60Great+Debate%27+Page&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fapod.nasa.gov%2Fhtmltest%2Fgifcity%2Fcs_nrc.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AGreat+Debate+%28astronomy%29" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Webb-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Webb_2-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Webb_2-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFWebb1999" class="citation book cs1">Webb, Stephen (1999). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=ntZwxttZF-sC"><i>Measuring the Universe: The Cosmological Distance Ladder</i></a>. Springer Science & Business Media. pp. 164–165. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1852331061" title="Special:BookSources/978-1852331061"><bdi>978-1852331061</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Measuring+the+Universe%3A+The+Cosmological+Distance+Ladder&rft.pages=164-165&rft.pub=Springer+Science+%26+Business+Media&rft.date=1999&rft.isbn=978-1852331061&rft.aulast=Webb&rft.aufirst=Stephen&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DntZwxttZF-sC&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AGreat+Debate+%28astronomy%29" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-herber88-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-herber88_3-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFCurtis1988" class="citation journal cs1">Curtis, Heber D. 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"A Map of the Universe". <i><a href="/wiki/The_Astrophysical_Journal" title="The Astrophysical Journal">The Astrophysical Journal</a></i>. <b>624</b> (2): 463–484. <a href="/wiki/ArXiv_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ArXiv (identifier)">arXiv</a>:<span class="id-lock-free" title="Freely accessible"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0310571">astro-ph/0310571</a></span>. <a href="/wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Bibcode (identifier)">Bibcode</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2005ApJ...624..463G">2005ApJ...624..463G</a>. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1086%2F428890">10.1086/428890</a>. <a href="/wiki/S2CID_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="S2CID (identifier)">S2CID</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:9654355">9654355</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=The+Astrophysical+Journal&rft.atitle=A+Map+of+the+Universe&rft.volume=624&rft.issue=2&rft.pages=463-484&rft.date=2005&rft_id=info%3Aarxiv%2Fastro-ph%2F0310571&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.semanticscholar.org%2FCorpusID%3A9654355%23id-name%3DS2CID&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1086%2F428890&rft_id=info%3Abibcode%2F2005ApJ...624..463G&rft.aulast=Gott+III&rft.aufirst=J.+R.&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AGreat+Debate+%28astronomy%29" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Conselice-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Conselice_8-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFChristopher_J._Conselice2016" class="citation journal cs1">Christopher J. 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(2016). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.3847%2F0004-637X%2F830%2F2%2F83">"The Evolution of Galaxy Number Density at z < 8 and its Implications"</a>. <i>The Astrophysical Journal</i>. <b>830</b> (2): 83. <a href="/wiki/ArXiv_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ArXiv (identifier)">arXiv</a>:<span class="id-lock-free" title="Freely accessible"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://arxiv.org/abs/1607.03909">1607.03909</a></span>. <a href="/wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Bibcode (identifier)">Bibcode</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2016ApJ...830...83C">2016ApJ...830...83C</a>. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<span class="id-lock-free" title="Freely accessible"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.3847%2F0004-637X%2F830%2F2%2F83">10.3847/0004-637X/830/2/83</a></span>. <a href="/wiki/S2CID_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="S2CID (identifier)">S2CID</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:17424588">17424588</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=The+Astrophysical+Journal&rft.atitle=The+Evolution+of+Galaxy+Number+Density+at+z+%3C+8+and+its+Implications&rft.volume=830&rft.issue=2&rft.pages=83&rft.date=2016&rft_id=info%3Aarxiv%2F1607.03909&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.semanticscholar.org%2FCorpusID%3A17424588%23id-name%3DS2CID&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.3847%2F0004-637X%2F830%2F2%2F83&rft_id=info%3Abibcode%2F2016ApJ...830...83C&rft.au=Christopher+J.+Conselice&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fdoi.org%2F10.3847%252F0004-637X%252F830%252F2%252F83&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AGreat+Debate+%28astronomy%29" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-NYT-20161017-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-NYT-20161017_9-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFFountain2016" class="citation news cs1">Fountain, Henry (17 October 2016). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/18/science/two-trillion-galaxies-at-the-very-least.html">"Two Trillion Galaxies, at the Very Least"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/The_New_York_Times" title="The New York Times">The New York Times</a></i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">17 October</span> 2016</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=The+New+York+Times&rft.atitle=Two+Trillion+Galaxies%2C+at+the+Very+Least&rft.date=2016-10-17&rft.aulast=Fountain&rft.aufirst=Henry&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2016%2F10%2F18%2Fscience%2Ftwo-trillion-galaxies-at-the-very-least.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AGreat+Debate+%28astronomy%29" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-10">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/diamond_jubilee/1920/cs_why.html">"Why the 'Great Debate' was important"</a>. <a href="/wiki/NASA" title="NASA">NASA</a>/<a href="/wiki/Goddard_Space_Flight_Center" title="Goddard Space Flight Center">Goddard Space Flight Center</a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2009-10-16</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Why+the+%27Great+Debate%27+was+important&rft.pub=NASA%2FGoddard+Space+Flight+Center&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fantwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov%2Fdiamond_jubilee%2F1920%2Fcs_why.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AGreat+Debate+%28astronomy%29" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-11">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://apod.nasa.gov/diamond_jubilee/debate.html">"Great Debates in Astronomy"</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Great+Debates+in+Astronomy&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fapod.nasa.gov%2Fdiamond_jubilee%2Fdebate.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AGreat+Debate+%28astronomy%29" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> </ol></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Bibliography">Bibliography</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Great_Debate_(astronomy)&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: Bibliography"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFCarrollOstlie2017" class="citation book cs1">Carroll, B. W.; Ostlie, D. A. (2017). <i>An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics</i> (2nd ed.). <a href="/wiki/Cambridge_University_Press" title="Cambridge University Press">Cambridge University Press</a>. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-108-42216-1" title="Special:BookSources/978-1-108-42216-1"><bdi>978-1-108-42216-1</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=An+Introduction+to+Modern+Astrophysics&rft.edition=2nd&rft.pub=Cambridge+University+Press&rft.date=2017&rft.isbn=978-1-108-42216-1&rft.aulast=Carroll&rft.aufirst=B.+W.&rft.au=Ostlie%2C+D.+A.&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AGreat+Debate+%28astronomy%29" class="Z3988"></span></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="External_links">External links</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Great_Debate_(astronomy)&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: External links"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFShapleyCurtis1921" class="citation journal cs1">Shapley, H.; Curtis, H. D. (1921). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/scaleofuniverse00shap">"The scale of the universe"</a>. <i>Bulletin of the National Research Council</i>. <b>2</b> (Part 3, Issue 11): 171–217. <a href="/wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Bibcode (identifier)">Bibcode</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1921BuNRC...2..171S">1921BuNRC...2..171S</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Bulletin+of+the+National+Research+Council&rft.atitle=The+scale+of+the+universe&rft.volume=2&rft.issue=Part+3%2C+Issue+11&rft.pages=171-217&rft.date=1921&rft_id=info%3Abibcode%2F1921BuNRC...2..171S&rft.aulast=Shapley&rft.aufirst=H.&rft.au=Curtis%2C+H.+D.&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Fscaleofuniverse00shap&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AGreat+Debate+%28astronomy%29" class="Z3988"></span> (The original publication of the debate.)</li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/diamond_jubilee/debate20.html">"The Shapley–Curtis Debate in 1920"</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=The+Shapley%E2%80%93Curtis+Debate+in+1920&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fantwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov%2Fdiamond_jubilee%2Fdebate20.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AGreat+Debate+%28astronomy%29" class="Z3988"></span> (Resources related to the debate at the <a href="/wiki/NASA" title="NASA">NASA</a> website)</li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFTrimble1995" class="citation journal cs1">Trimble, V. (1995). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://escholarship.org/content/qt1q68k7m0/qt1q68k7m0.pdf?t=nlq2ft">"The 1920 Shapley–Curtis Discussion: Background, Issues, and Aftermath"</a> <span class="cs1-format">(PDF)</span>. <i><a href="/wiki/Publications_of_the_Astronomical_Society_of_the_Pacific" title="Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific">Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific</a></i>. <b>107</b>: 1133. <a href="/wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Bibcode (identifier)">Bibcode</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1995PASP..107.1133T">1995PASP..107.1133T</a>. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1086%2F133671">10.1086/133671</a>. <a href="/wiki/S2CID_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="S2CID (identifier)">S2CID</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:122365368">122365368</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Publications+of+the+Astronomical+Society+of+the+Pacific&rft.atitle=The+1920+Shapley%E2%80%93Curtis+Discussion%3A+Background%2C+Issues%2C+and+Aftermath&rft.volume=107&rft.pages=1133&rft.date=1995&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.semanticscholar.org%2FCorpusID%3A122365368%23id-name%3DS2CID&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1086%2F133671&rft_id=info%3Abibcode%2F1995PASP..107.1133T&rft.aulast=Trimble&rft.aufirst=V.&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fescholarship.org%2Fcontent%2Fqt1q68k7m0%2Fqt1q68k7m0.pdf%3Ft%3Dnlq2ft&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AGreat+Debate+%28astronomy%29" class="Z3988"></span></li></ul> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1130092004">.mw-parser-output .portal-bar{font-size:88%;font-weight:bold;display:flex;justify-content:center;align-items:baseline}.mw-parser-output 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.portal-bar-related{font-size:100%;align-items:flex-start}.mw-parser-output .portal-bar-content{display:flex;flex-flow:row wrap;align-items:center;flex:0;column-gap:1em;border-top:1px solid #a2a9b1;margin:0 auto;list-style:none}.mw-parser-output .portal-bar-content-related{border-top:none;margin:0;list-style:none}}.mw-parser-output .navbox+link+.portal-bar,.mw-parser-output .navbox+style+.portal-bar,.mw-parser-output .navbox+link+.portal-bar-bordered,.mw-parser-output .navbox+style+.portal-bar-bordered,.mw-parser-output .sister-bar+link+.portal-bar,.mw-parser-output .sister-bar+style+.portal-bar,.mw-parser-output .portal-bar+.navbox-styles+.navbox,.mw-parser-output .portal-bar+.navbox-styles+.sister-bar{margin-top:-1px}</style><div class="portal-bar noprint metadata noviewer portal-bar-bordered" role="navigation" aria-label="Portals"><span class="portal-bar-header"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Contents/Portals" title="Wikipedia:Contents/Portals">Portals</a>:</span><ul 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.navbox-title{background-color:#ddf}.mw-parser-output .navbox-subgroup .navbox-group,.mw-parser-output .navbox-subgroup .navbox-abovebelow{background-color:#e6e6ff}.mw-parser-output .navbox-even{background-color:#f7f7f7}.mw-parser-output .navbox-odd{background-color:transparent}.mw-parser-output .navbox .hlist td dl,.mw-parser-output .navbox .hlist td ol,.mw-parser-output .navbox .hlist td ul,.mw-parser-output .navbox td.hlist dl,.mw-parser-output .navbox td.hlist ol,.mw-parser-output .navbox td.hlist ul{padding:0.125em 0}.mw-parser-output .navbox .navbar{display:block;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .navbox-title .navbar{float:left;text-align:left;margin-right:0.5em}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .navbox-image img{max-width:none!important}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .navbox{display:none!important}}</style></div><div role="navigation" class="navbox" aria-labelledby="History_of_physics_(timeline)" style="padding:3px"><table class="nowraplinks hlist mw-collapsible mw-collapsed navbox-inner" style="border-spacing:0;background:transparent;color:inherit"><tbody><tr><th scope="col" class="navbox-title" colspan="2"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239400231">.mw-parser-output .navbar{display:inline;font-size:88%;font-weight:normal}.mw-parser-output .navbar-collapse{float:left;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .navbar-boxtext{word-spacing:0}.mw-parser-output .navbar ul{display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;line-height:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-brackets::before{margin-right:-0.125em;content:"[ "}.mw-parser-output .navbar-brackets::after{margin-left:-0.125em;content:" ]"}.mw-parser-output .navbar li{word-spacing:-0.125em}.mw-parser-output .navbar a>span,.mw-parser-output .navbar a>abbr{text-decoration:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-mini abbr{font-variant:small-caps;border-bottom:none;text-decoration:none;cursor:inherit}.mw-parser-output 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id="History_of_physics_(timeline)" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><a href="/wiki/History_of_physics" title="History of physics">History of physics</a> (<a href="/wiki/Timeline_of_fundamental_physics_discoveries" title="Timeline of fundamental physics discoveries">timeline</a>)</div></th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Classical_physics" title="Classical physics">Classical physics</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/History_of_astronomy" title="History of astronomy">Astronomy</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Timeline_of_astronomy" title="Timeline of astronomy">timeline</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_electromagnetic_theory" title="History of electromagnetic theory">Electromagnetism</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Timeline_of_electromagnetism_and_classical_optics" title="Timeline of electromagnetism and classical optics">timeline</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_electrical_engineering" title="History of electrical engineering">Electrical engineering</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_Maxwell%27s_equations" title="History of Maxwell's equations">Maxwell's equations</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_fluid_mechanics" title="History of fluid mechanics">Fluid mechanics</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Timeline_of_fluid_and_continuum_mechanics" title="Timeline of fluid and continuum mechanics">timeline</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_aerodynamics" title="History of aerodynamics">Aerodynamics</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_classical_field_theory" title="History of classical field theory">Field theory</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_gravitational_theory" title="History of gravitational theory">Gravitational theory</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Timeline_of_gravitational_physics_and_relativity" title="Timeline of gravitational physics and relativity">timeline</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_materials_science" title="History of materials science">Material science</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Timeline_of_materials_technology" title="Timeline of materials technology">timeline</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_metamaterials" title="History of metamaterials">Metamaterials</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_classical_mechanics" title="History of classical mechanics">Mechanics</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Timeline_of_classical_mechanics" title="Timeline of classical mechanics">timeline</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_variational_principles_in_physics" title="History of variational principles in physics">Variational principles</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_optics" title="History of optics">Optics</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/History_of_spectroscopy" title="History of spectroscopy">Spectroscopy</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_thermodynamics" title="History of thermodynamics">Thermodynamics</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Timeline_of_thermodynamics" title="Timeline of thermodynamics">timeline</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_energy" title="History of energy">Energy</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_entropy" title="History of entropy">Entropy</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_perpetual_motion_machines" title="History of perpetual motion machines">Perpetual motion</a></li></ul></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Modern_physics" title="Modern physics">Modern physics</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li>Computational physics <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Timeline_of_computational_physics" title="Timeline of computational physics">timeline</a></li></ul></li> <li>Condensed matter <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Timeline_of_condensed_matter_physics" title="Timeline of condensed matter physics">timeline</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_superconductivity" title="History of superconductivity">Superconductivity</a></li></ul></li> <li>Cosmology <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Timeline_of_cosmological_theories" title="Timeline of cosmological theories">timeline</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_the_Big_Bang_theory" title="History of the Big Bang theory">Big Bang theory</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_general_relativity" title="History of general relativity">General relativity</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Tests_of_general_relativity" title="Tests of general relativity">tests</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_geophysics" title="History of geophysics">Geophysics</a></li> <li>Nuclear physics <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Discovery_of_nuclear_fission" title="Discovery of nuclear fission">Fission</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_nuclear_fusion" title="History of nuclear fusion">Fusion</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_nuclear_power" title="History of nuclear power">Power</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_nuclear_weapons" title="History of nuclear weapons">Weapons</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_quantum_mechanics" title="History of quantum mechanics">Quantum mechanics</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Timeline_of_quantum_mechanics" title="Timeline of quantum mechanics">timeline</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_atomic_theory" title="History of atomic theory">Atoms</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_molecular_theory" title="History of molecular theory">Molecules</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_quantum_field_theory" title="History of quantum field theory">Quantum field theory</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_subatomic_physics" title="History of subatomic physics">Subatomic physics</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Timeline_of_atomic_and_subatomic_physics" title="Timeline of atomic and subatomic physics">timeline</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_special_relativity" title="History of special relativity">Special relativity</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Timeline_of_special_relativity_and_the_speed_of_light" title="Timeline of special relativity and the speed of light">timeline</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_Lorentz_transformations" title="History of Lorentz transformations">Lorentz transformations</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Tests_of_special_relativity" title="Tests of special relativity">tests</a></li></ul></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Recent developments</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li>Quantum information <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Timeline_of_quantum_computing_and_communication" title="Timeline of quantum computing and communication">timeline</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_loop_quantum_gravity" title="History of loop quantum gravity">Loop quantum gravity</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_nanotechnology" title="History of nanotechnology">Nanotechnology</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_string_theory" title="History of string theory">String theory</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">On specific discoveries</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Discovery_of_cosmic_microwave_background_radiation" title="Discovery of cosmic microwave background radiation">Cosmic microwave background</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Discovery_of_graphene" title="Discovery of graphene">Graphene</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/First_observation_of_gravitational_waves" title="First observation of gravitational waves">Gravitational waves</a></li> <li>Subatomic particles <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Timeline_of_particle_discoveries" title="Timeline of particle discoveries">timeline</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Search_for_the_Higgs_boson" title="Search for the Higgs boson">Higgs boson</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Discovery_of_the_neutron" title="Discovery of the neutron">Neutron</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/R%C3%B8mer%27s_determination_of_the_speed_of_light" title="Rømer's determination of the speed of light">Speed of light</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">By periods</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Copernican_Revolution" title="Copernican Revolution">Copernican Revolution</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Golden_age_of_physics" title="Golden age of physics">Golden age of physics</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Golden_age_of_cosmology" title="Golden age of cosmology">Golden age of cosmology</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Physics_in_the_medieval_Islamic_world" title="Physics in the medieval Islamic world">Medieval Islamic world</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Astronomy_in_the_medieval_Islamic_world" title="Astronomy in the medieval Islamic world">Astronomy</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Noisy_intermediate-scale_quantum_era" title="Noisy intermediate-scale quantum era">Noisy intermediate-scale quantum era</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">By groups</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Harvard_Computers" title="Harvard Computers">Harvard Computers</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/The_Martians_(scientists)" title="The Martians (scientists)">The Martians</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Oxford_Calculators" title="Oxford Calculators">Oxford Calculators</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Via_Panisperna_boys" title="Via Panisperna boys">Via Panisperna boys</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Women_in_physics" title="Women in physics">Women in physics</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Scientific disputes</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Bohr%E2%80%93Einstein_debates" title="Bohr–Einstein debates">Bohr–Einstein</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Chandrasekhar%E2%80%93Eddington_dispute" title="Chandrasekhar–Eddington dispute">Chandrasekhar–Eddington</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Galileo_affair" title="Galileo affair">Galileo affair</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Leibniz%E2%80%93Newton_calculus_controversy" title="Leibniz–Newton calculus controversy">Leibniz–Newton</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mechanical_equivalent_of_heat" title="Mechanical equivalent of heat">Joule–von Mayer</a></li> <li><a class="mw-selflink selflink">Shapley–Curtis</a></li> <li>Relativity priority <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Relativity_priority_dispute" title="Relativity priority dispute">Special relativity</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/General_relativity_priority_dispute" title="General relativity priority dispute">General relativity</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Transfermium_Wars" title="Transfermium Wars">Transfermium Wars</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><td class="navbox-abovebelow" colspan="2"><div> <ul><li><span class="noviewer" typeof="mw:File"><span title="Category"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/96/Symbol_category_class.svg/16px-Symbol_category_class.svg.png" decoding="async" width="16" height="16" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/96/Symbol_category_class.svg/23px-Symbol_category_class.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/96/Symbol_category_class.svg/31px-Symbol_category_class.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="180" data-file-height="185" /></span></span> <a href="/wiki/Category:History_of_physics" title="Category:History of physics">Category</a></li></ul> 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