1.0

2.0

1.0

2.0

4.0

2.0

4.0

5.9

2.9

5.8

7.8

3.8

7.6

10.0

5.0

10.0

12.1

6.1

12.2

14.4

7.4

14.8

Relative to the end of the ruler, the Milky Way did not move at all. This is because we used it as our reference. We are located there. However, the farther any other galaxy was initially from the Milky Way, the faster it moved away. This agrees with Hubble’s findings. You can see this in the plot of our data below.

By looking at the graph you can see that the trend appears to be linear. To compare this with Hubble’s findings and learn why this trend makes sense, check out Digging Deeper…

Try This

Choose a different galaxy, such as Galaxy C, on the rubber band to represent your reference galaxy. Then, repeat the experiment. How does your new data compare with your original data? When you stretched the rubber band, were the other galaxies moving toward or away from your reference galaxy?

For a related experiment look at The Expanding Balloon.

…more Science Lab projects about…
Air & Space
Earth Science
Electricity & Magnetism
Properties of Liquids

…try some interactive experiments in our…
Virtual Lab

…or test your skills at our…
Math Puzzle of the Month
Engineering Challenge