See it: Hubble Space Telescope celebrates 35 years of making ground-breaking discoveries
On April 25, 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope was deployed into Earth's orbit, beginning a decades-long venture into making ground-breaking discoveries and capturing images of the universe.
The Hubble was the first major U.s. telescope in space and orbits some 320 miles above Earth's surface. The telescope has spent the last 35 years making 1.6 million observations of over 53,000 objects in space, according to the European Space Agency.
According to NASA, Hubble can see objects in space with an angular size of 0.05 arcseconds, which is similar to being in Washington, D.C. and seeing a pair of fireflies in Tokyo that are less than 10 feet apart.
From planets to nebulae to galaxies, the targets observed and imaged by the school bus-sized telescope have run the gamut.
How The Telescope Became Our Window Into Our Universe
Data from Hubble has been used to create stunning images over the past 35 years, such as the ones below:
For example, recently the European Space Agency shared a new image of a fan-favorite Hubble target known as the "Sombrero Galaxy."
Hubble Telescope Provides Fresh Look At Stunning 'Sombrero Galaxy'
Located about 30 million light-years away in the Virgo constellation, the galaxy appears to have a rounded crown in its center and a broad brim, similar to that of its namesake.
Using new processing techniques and data from Hubble, the galaxy is revealed in greater detail with more background stars and galaxies.
Last year, Hubble showed off how a star system can resemble a volcanic eruption.
Hubble Telescope Captures Stunning Images Of Star System Reminiscent Of A Volcano
From the very beginning, Hubble revolutionized how space could be studied.
The side-by-side image below includes the first image the European Space Agency's Faint Object Camera aboard NASA's Hubble Space Telescope took soon after it was deployed into orbit, along with an image of the same part of the sky with a ground-based telescope.
"Since its launch and deployment in April 1990, Hubble's mission has rewritten astronomy textbooks with its powerful observations of our universe," Nasa said.
Missions performed by astronauts and robots have extended the telescope's operations well beyond its scheduled lifespan.
NASA estimates that the telescope could be in operation well into the 2030s, when it is expected to re-enter Earth's atmosphere.Original article source: See it: Hubble Space Telescope celebrates 35 years of making ground-breaking discoveries
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