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Relativistic Astrophysics pp 238–261Cite as

A Forty-Year Search for the Hubble Constant

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Abstract

The calibration of the Hubble constant H 0 to within ~10% has been a long and painful process with many setbacks. Thanks to HST the process is coming to an end. Almost twenty Cepheid distances to nearby galaxies from HST do not themselves yield a useful value of H 0, but they provide the luminosity calibration of seven SNe Ia, put the calibration of the 21cm-line width-luminosity relation on much firmer footing, and discriminate against fallacious distance indicators. The consistent evidence of the large-scale value of the Hubble constant Ho is reviewed in the light of SNe Ia, the Virgo cluster tied into the cosmic expansion field, and field galaxies. Also the evidence from physical distance determinations is discussed. The conclusion is Ho = 55 f 8 km s−1 Mpc−1, corresponding to an expansion age of 15.2 ± 2.2 Gy (if q 0 = 0.1) and 12 ± 1.7 Gy (if q 0 = ½). Globular clusters, white dwarfs, and radioactive actinides require a time frame of ~12 Gy. This and the expansion age agree perfectly if the Universe is open; even for a critical Universe with q 0 = ½ the time agreement is as good as one can expect.

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  1. Astronomisches Institut, Universität Basel, Venusstr. 7, CH-4102, Binningen, Switzerland

    Gustav A. Tammann & Lukas Labhardt

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Harald Riffert Hanns Ruder Hans-Peter Nollert Friedrich W. Hehl

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Tammann, G.A., Labhardt, L. (1998). A Forty-Year Search for the Hubble Constant. In: Riffert, H., Ruder, H., Nollert, HP., Hehl, F.W. (eds) Relativistic Astrophysics. Vieweg+Teubner Verlag, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-663-11294-5_15

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