The Assignment

• Historical reenactment of The Great Debate on the Size of the Universe
• Heber Curtis v Harlow Shapley – April 26, 1920
• Learn about astronomy’s Great Debate
• Pick a side
• Locate primary source documents from journals and newspaper of the time
• Present accurate facts, as they were known at the time, and argue for your point of view
• Be prepared to refute the other side
• Include the full text of all background research

Reference Resources

Use these for background information and to help you pick a side. See the Astronomy Resource Guide for a list of print and online reference resources.

Books

Use the Cerritos College Library Catalog to find additional books on the Milky Way, the Universe, Harlow Shapley, and Heber Curtis.

Subject Search
Galaxies
Milky Way
Universe

Author Search
Shapley, Harlow

Keyword Search
Harlow Shapley

Online Resources

This is where you’ll find articles, many of which were written at the time.

• Gale Discovering Collection & Virtual Reference Library
• The Shapley Curtis Debate in 1920 
• New York Times Archives
• SOA/NASA Astrophysics Data System
• EBSCOHost MasterFILE Premier & Science Reference Center
• Highwire
• Highwire Free