Einstein’s biggest “mistake” came back — and changed cosmology forever
Albert Einstein introduced the 'cosmological constant' to his general relativity equations to maintain a static universe model, a decision he later famously called his biggest mistake. However, this constant has become essential to modern cosmology as it helps explain the accelerating expansion of the universe.
A little more than a century ago, Albert Einstein turned his attention from gravity itself to the fate of the entire universe. In 1917, shortly after developing his general theory of relativity, he began applying his new equations to cosmology. General relativity had transformed our understanding of gravity, so it made sense to ask what those same equations said about the universe on the largest possible scales.
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