News on Lemaitre

Last time we read about the priest-scientist, Father Georges Lemaître. One day after submitting the article I saw this news report:

Einstein and Fr. Lemaître

The International Astronomical Union has voted in favor of a recommendation to rename the Hubble Law the “Hubble-Lemaître Law,” in order to acknowledge the contributions of the Belgian priest and astronomer Georges Lemaître to the scientific theory of the expansion of the universe.

“To honor the intellectual integrity and the supremely significant discovery by Georges Lemaître, the IAU is pleased to recommend that the expansion of the universe be referred to as the Hubble–Lemaître Law,” the association stated Oct. 29.  Among the resolution’s desires was “to honor the intellectual integrity of Georges Lemaître that made him value more the progress of science rather than his own visibility.”

The IAU is an international organization of professional astronomers and is the internationally recognized authority for naming celestial bodies.