The observable universewhich may comprise almost all of the total universe is a vast sphere approximately 1,000,000,000 light-years across (one light-year equals about six trillion miles). Human knowledge of the outermost fringes of this sphere is mostly due to the work of Astronomers Edwin Powell Hubble and Milton La Salle Humason, whose long looks into space are made possible by Mt. Wilson Observatory's 100-inch telescope. Even with this giant instrument, catching the spectra of far-off island universes has required all-night exposures for several nights.
Last week it was disclosed that Dr. Humason has...