What is the Hubble Telescope?
The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is a space telescope that was launched in 1990 by NASA, which is still in operation today. Named after astronomer Edwin P. Hubble, whose confirmation of an expanding universe provided the base for the Big Bang Theory, the job of the Hubble Telescope was to take photographs of planets, stars, and galaxies. The Hubble Telescope travels around the world at 5 miles per hour, is 13.2 m long (about the length of a school bus), and weighs 24,500 lbs. The cost at launch on April 24, 1990 was $1.5 million. Some of the Hubble Space Telescopes most important discoveries include a picture labeled "Hubble Ultra Deep Field" which shows the farthest galaxies ever seen, observations of black holes, and discoveries of dark energy.
Some interesting facts about the Hubble Space Telescope are:
- The Hubble Space Telescope is powered by solar energy, and has 2 25-foot solar panels
- The first image captured by the Hubble was a picture of Star Cluster NGC 3532 on May 20, 1990
- The Hubble cannot photograph or observe the Sun or Mercury
- It takes 97 minutes for the Hubble Telescope to complete one orbit
Some interesting facts about the Hubble Space Telescope are:
- The Hubble Space Telescope is powered by solar energy, and has 2 25-foot solar panels
- The first image captured by the Hubble was a picture of Star Cluster NGC 3532 on May 20, 1990
- The Hubble cannot photograph or observe the Sun or Mercury
- It takes 97 minutes for the Hubble Telescope to complete one orbit
Recent news about the Hubble Telescope
Star Alignment provides opportunity to look for new planets 06.03.13
A new observation made by data collected by the Hubble Space Telescope predicts that the star Proximus Centauri - the red dwarf star closest to our Sun - will pass in front of two background stars (stars much farther away) in 2014 and 2016, providing us with a much wider view of the sky in that region (closer to the southern horizon). This would provide us with a rare opportunity to look for other Earth sized planets.
Hubble Observes Star Formation 05.24.13
The Hubble Space Telescope recently observed J125013.50+073441.5. It is a starburst galaxy, which means it is a galaxy that has an unusually high rate of star formation. The bright blue spots along the swirls are regions where new stars are being formed. This image was captured using Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3, which is doing an investigation on the relation of radiation to matter in nearby galaxies.
Partners that made the Hubble Space Telescope a success.