The cosmological constant is a mathematical term (symbolized by the Greek letter lambda, &lgr;) that German-born physicist Albert Einstein placed in his general relativity equations in 1917. The theory of general relativity predicted that the universe...

In physical cosmology, the cosmological constant (usually denoted by the Greek capital letter lambda: Λ) was proposed by Albert Einstein as a modification of his original theory of general relativity to achieve a stationary universe. Einstein abandoned...

Return of the cosmological constant When Albert Einstein wrote down the equations for his theory of general relativity more than 70 years ago, he felt compelled to add a mathematica term representing an unknown, repulsive force to counter the gravitational attraction of...

Astronomer Edwin Hubble's 1920s-era discovery of the red-shift of light led to a calculation of the Hubble 'constant' at between 50 and 60. However, the calculation depends on the known luminosity of nearby 'standard' stars. Three recent Hubble telescope experiments produced three widely different...