Deep Space Implied Deep Time
Already in a paper of 1802 Herschel considered the idea that ‘deep space’ must also imply ‘deep time’. He wrote in his Preface: A telescope with a power of penetrating into space, like my 40 foot one, has also, as it may be called, a power of penetrating into time past … [from a remote nebula] the rays of light which convey its image to the eye, must have been more than 19 hundred and 10 thousand — that is — almost two million years on their way.’ The universe was therefore almost unimaginably older than people had previously thought. This idea of deep time was one which required a great deal of explanation to the layman.
See Also: Michael Hoskin, William Herschel and the Construction of the Heavens, 1963, p130Notes:
Herschel realized the very large universe required a very old universe.
Folksonomies: history astronomy cosmos time
Taxonomies:
/technology and computing/consumer electronics/camera and photo equipment/telescopes (0.629196)
/science/geology (0.360936)
/science/physics/space and astronomy (0.137878)
Keywords:
Deep Time Herschel (0.902707 (positive:0.495382)), Deep Space Implied (0.806546 (positive:0.495382)), William Herschel (0.643364 (neutral:0.000000)), Michael Hoskin (0.578816 (neutral:0.000000)), remote nebula (0.564958 (neutral:0.000000)), large universe (0.558732 (positive:0.495382)), old universe (0.557870 (positive:0.495382)), 10 thousand (0.549427 (neutral:0.000000)), great deal (0.533571 (positive:0.599004)), ‘deep space (0.524171 (neutral:0.000000)), ‘deep time (0.521553 (neutral:0.000000)), idea (0.425082 (positive:0.599004)), power (0.376628 (positive:0.501031)), Preface (0.363500 (neutral:0.000000)), Heavens (0.363183 (neutral:0.000000)), rays (0.362647 (positive:0.324222)), layman (0.357479 (positive:0.599004)), telescope (0.353354 (positive:0.506549)), paper (0.346013 (neutral:0.000000)), foot (0.343955 (neutral:0.000000)), image (0.342956 (positive:0.324222)), eye (0.342866 (positive:0.324222)), way. (0.342200 (neutral:0.000000)), people (0.341898 (neutral:0.000000))
Entities:
William Herschel:Person (0.866121 (positive:0.495382)), Michael Hoskin:Person (0.400824 (neutral:0.000000)), two million years:Quantity (0.400824 (neutral:0.000000)), 40 foot:Quantity (0.400824 (neutral:0.000000))
Concepts:
Time (0.974886): dbpedia | freebase | opencyc
Astronomy (0.950156): dbpedia | freebase | opencyc
Universe (0.938445): dbpedia | freebase
Space (0.726385): dbpedia | freebase
General relativity (0.637671): dbpedia | freebase | opencyc
Physics (0.620057): dbpedia | freebase | opencyc
Gottfried Leibniz (0.597335): dbpedia | opencyc | yago
Spacetime (0.587751): dbpedia | freebase | yago
The Age of Wonder