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Georges Henri Joseph Lemaître was a priest, physicist and astronomer whose controversial theory of "cosmic egg" became the most important concept in cosmology – the Big Bang theory.
Now, at the 124th anniversary of the scientist, Google honored him with a Doodle. But who is Georges Lemaître and what are his most important ideas?
Lemaître was born in Charleroi, Belgium, in 1894. His first career as a civil engineer was interrupted by World War I and the future astrophysicist eventually served in Belgium. army. At the end of the war, Lemaître turned to mathematics and physics, before joining the Catholic priesthood in 1923.
He became professor of astrophysics at the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium. In 1927 he published an article in French proposing that the universe be expanding. Drawing on Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity, the work has little impact on the field until it is translated into English as a whole. 1931. An abridged version appeared in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society . The idea of an expanding universe led the physicist to the concept of a "cosmic egg" that exploded at the first moment of the universe. Also known as the "primordial atom," Lemaitre thought that this single point was spreading into the incomprehensible and vast universe of today.
Although he was faced with the derision of some, the priest's ideas became more commonplace. Other scientists had also become skeptical about the idea that the universe was static.
The American astronomer Edwin Hubble was also studying the notion of an expanding universe at the same time as Lemaître. In 1929, Hubble went a step further and found observational evidence that the universe was expanding.
Scientists, including George Gamow, built on Lemaître's ideas. What began as a "cosmic egg" has hatched in what is still the most important theory of cosmology – the Big Bang theory. The observation of cosmic background radiation reinforced the notion even further in 1965.
Lemaître died in Leuven, Belgium, in 1966 at the age of 71 years. During his lifetime he won several awards recognizing his contributions to science Outside astronomy, his love of algebra and arithmetic fueled a passion for computer science that was going to grow towards the end of his life.
Lemaître also devoted himself to his Catholic faith, which he considered a separate lens through which to see the universe.
According to the book edited by Neil DeGrasse-Tyson Cosmic Horizons: Astronomy at the forefront the priest said: "As far as I can see, such a theory remains entirely apart from all metaphysical or religious question, it leaves the materialist free to deny any transcendental Being … For the believer, he suppresses any attempt at familiarity with God … He is in agreement with Isaiah speaking about the hidden God, hidden even at the beginning of the Universe. "
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