Chapter 14: Cosmologies of Belief Summary and Analysis

In 1923, astronomer Edwin Hubble ended any debate and confirmed that there were literally billions of galaxies. Throughout the centuries there were much speculation about the universe and many disproved theories. On of the biggest debates was whether or not all the stars in the sky were in one continuous galaxy. Prussian philosopher Immanuel Kant was the first to advance the theory of the existence of multiple galaxies. His theory which was dubbed the "island universe" set the stage for a debate that raged for many years.

Isaac Newton discovered that if white light passed through a prism the full spectrum of colors was displayed. That discovery was taken a step further with the invention of a device called a spectroscope which confirmed that the same spectra of colors was displayed when observing the sun. When...