Voller R. Hubble, Humason and the Big Bang: The Race to Uncover the Expanding Universe

New York: Springer, 2021. — 453 p.The story of Hubble and Humason is one for the ages―and in particular, the Cosmic Age. In this compelling book, science writer Ron Voller digs deep into how and why the two scientists continued to investigate their theory of universal expansion in the face of persistent doubt, contrary theories, and calamitous world events.
The evolution of this dynamic duo’s tenuous friendship and professional partnership is in many ways as intriguing as their groundbreaking work on the evolution of the universe. The book therefore traces their lives from their childhoods into their burgeoning careers, revealing how a World War and their own personal differences stood in the way of initial cooperation. It then shows how despite all this, the two opposites eventually came together in the pursuit of something far greater than themselves.
This grand story is inextricably interwoven with that of Albert Einstein, Willem de Sitter, and other great physicists of the era, all of whom took part in the staggering quest to make sense of the Big Bang and what followed.
“Edwin Hubble has often been considered as an island of sorts―a lone wolf of astronomy. But Voller’s book shows otherwise, as he examines Milt Humason’s essential contributions to our understanding of the expanding universe.” - Daniel Lewis, Dibner Senior Curator, History of Science & Technology, The Huntington LibraryForeword
A Timely Tribute
AcknowledgementsAbbreviations
Two Centuries Of Astronomical Discovery
A Biographical Timeline
250 Years of Development in Physics and Astronomy
Christiaan Huygens And Isaac Newton: The First Unification Of Physics
Revolutionaries: Lavoisier, Messier And The Herschels
The Dawn Of Astrophysics: Fraunhofer And His Curious Lines
The Dawn Of Spectroscopy: From Bunsen To Balmer
Doppler: Pairing The Perception Of Light And Sound
William Huggins: The Father Of Modern Spectroscopy
Parallax: Measuring The Distance To The Stars
The Ole Rømer Empire: Measuring The Cosmic Speed Limit
Electromagnetism: Faraday, Maxwell And The Second Unification Of Physics
Planck And Einstein: The Dawn Of Modern Physics
George Hale And The Modern Astronomical ObservatoryA Portrait (1928)Childhood and Other Mysteries (1889-1909)Per Aspera Ad Astra (1910–1917)Merging Orbits (1918-1922)Rising Stars (1923-1927)Eclipsing Binaries (1928-1929)Bang! Goes The Universe (1929-1931)Grading Reality On A Curve (1932-1934)Cosmology And The Human Condition (1935-1936)War: Ultimate Disruptor (1937-1945)Aging Companion Stars (1946-1953)Shockwave: The Death Of A Star (1954-1961)The Last Horizon (1961-1991)Epilogue
Appendixies
Appendix 1: Additional Reading
Appendix 2: Hubble And Humason Selected Bibliography (Chronological)