Georges Lemaître, who blew up the universe

Georges Henri Joseph Édouard Lemaître was a Belgian Catholic priest, mathematician, astronomer, and professor of physics at the Catholic University of Louvain.

Born: July 17, 1894, Charleroi, Belgium

Died: June 20, 1966, Leuven, Belgium

Known for: Expansion of the universe, Big Bang, Hubble’s law

Education: Jesuit College Charleroi, Catholic University of Leuven, Cambridge, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Interests: Physics, mathematics, astronomy, theology

Achievements: First expresses the idea of ​​the Big Bang as a theory of the origin of the universe, which he calls the hypothesis of the primary atom; two years before Edwin Hubble’s article, he first proposed the theory of an expanding universe, widely and erroneously attributed to Hubble.

A journalist suggests that only three people understand the General Theory of Relativity, and Arthur Eddington, who gave the first proof of it, asks: “Three? Me and Einstein – but, for God’s sake, who is the third? ” The third is Georges Lemaître, a Belgian who developed the idea of ​​an expanding universe and laid the foundation of modern cosmology with the theory of the Primary Atom, the Cosmic Egg or the Big Bang.

Georges Lemaître was born in 1894 in Charleroi, Belgium. From an early age he combined a rare interest in science, technology and religion. He graduated from a Jesuit college, studied engineering at the Catholic University of Leuven and continued with physics, mathematics, astronomy, theology.

He received his doctorate in mathematics in 1920, graduated in theology three years later, was ordained a priest, and went to Cambridge, Eddington, to study cosmology, astronomy, and mathematics. In the United States he became a doctor of science and returned as a professor in Leuven. The circle is closing, it’s time for a big scientific explosion.

In 1927, Lemaître published an article entitled “Homogeneous Universe with Constant Mass and Growing Radius, Taking into account the Radial Velocity of Extragalactic Nebulae.” In other words, the universe is expanding without adding new mass, and the “nebulae” are disappearing.

The expanding universe was predicted by the Theory of Relativity, but Albert Einstein himself rebelled against it. However, Lemaître formulated what became known as Hubble’s law two years later and even calculated the famous Hubble constant.

Due to the misfortune of being born in a small country, however, Lemaître published the theory in a prestigious Belgian publication that no one in the world reads. Except for Eddington. He wrote a commentary for the Royal Scientific Society and called Lemaître’s work a “brilliant solution to the basic problems of cosmology,” but in the meantime Hubble came up with the idea independently and is now known as its author.

Lemaître’s original theory was published in English in 1931, but due to lack of space, the mathematics proving the speed of galaxy scattering were shortened. The suspicions that this was done on behalf of Hubble have not been proven.

But there is something else – Lemaître’s scientific merits are neglected because he is a Catholic priest and the scientific world is suspicious. Things change as Lemaître takes the next giant step with the theory of the Primary Atom and the explosion that gives birth to space, time, and the entire known universe.

In 1931, Lemaître was invited to England and put forward a new theory – the Big Bang. The idea is that now that the galaxies are moving away, they were very close to each other. By logic, in the beginning all matter must be collected in a point and mathematics confirms it.

The idea is so astonishing that it provokes either complete admiration or complete denial, but gradually conquers minds. To do this, however, some questions must first be answered.

Why exactly are we the center from which galaxies flee? Answer – we are not, every point in the universe is a center. We will see a decent illustration of this if we draw dots on a balloon and inflate it. And how does a meek atom suddenly explode? It is not clear, there is a point of singularity beyond which we cannot look. But there is an explanation in what is called a spontaneous explosion of the atom. For example, radium has a half-life of 1270 years, and when they expire, sparks (atoms) begin to fly out of it.

At first, many mocked the theory. According to the BBC in 1949, astronomer Fred Hoyle contemptuously called it The Big Bang Theory – but the name remains. In addition to professional jealousy, Lemaître is suspected of wanting to confirm the idea of ​​the divine beginning of the world. Remember – God snaps his fingers and light comes out.

Nothing like this is in the mind of this worthy man, and he proved it in 1951, when Pope Pius XII wrote in a proclamation: “Lemaître’s theory provides a scientific confirmation of the Catholic faith.” And Lemaître replied that the theory was neutral, and that the pope had better not interfere in cosmology.

Then the relic radiation is discovered, which should have remained from the early hot phase of the universe, if his theory is correct. And in 1966, Georges Lemaître could safely go to the god of cosmology. Or in heaven.

The European transport spacecraft ATV5 “Georges Lemaître” (named after him) was the last in a series of European spacecraft from the ATV program. The first of them, “Jules Verne”, was at the station in 2008, reminds TASS. Russian and American ships continued to supply the ISS.

On January 28, 2015, ATV5 “Georges Lemaître” separated from the International Space Station (ISS) on February 14 and was subsequently submerged in the Pacific Ocean.