Great Debates in Astronomy

NASA Science · September 24, 2026

Today’s APOD Archive Submissions Index Search Calendar RSS Education About Discuss Great Debates The Scale of the Universe (1920); Curtis, Shapley Although the `Great Debate’ is important to different people for different reasons, it is a clear example of humanity once again striving to find its place within the cosmic order. “The Shapley-Curtis debate makes interesting reading even today. It is important, not only as a historical document, but also as a glimpse into the reasoning processes of eminent scientists engaged in a great controversy for which the evidence on both sides is fragmentary and partly faulty. This debate illustrates forcefully how tricky it is to pick one’s way through the treacherous ground that characterizes research at the frontiers of science.” (Shu, F., 1982, The Physical Universe, An Introduction to Astronomy, (University Science Books, Mill Valley, California) p. 286)

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Following in the footsteps of the famous April 1920 ‘Great Debate’ between Harlow Shapley and Heber Curtis, this series of debates among leaders in the astronomical community highlight major quests in astronomy and astrophysics in an open forum at the turn of the millennium. Each of the 20th century debates were held in April in the Baird auditorium of the Smithsonian’s Museum of Natural History, the site of the original 1920 Shapley – Curtis debate. This delightful auditorium’s general appearance has remained remarkably constant since the 1920s. Its large, central ceiling electrolier is the debate series logo used above.

In a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Shapley – Curtis debate, the 2020 Life in the Universe debate was held online (and non-live) with text and video contributions from many. The debate question was “How will humanity first discover extraterrestrial life?”

These pages feature background information, educational material, and published proceedings for each debate.

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Источник: NASA Science