Latest news with #HubbleDeepField
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Hubble snaps photo of an eerie part of the universe
NASA's school-bus-sized telescope won't quit. In what's become a brilliant investment for scientists and taxpayers alike, the Hubble Space Telescope launched into space 35 years ago, and for decades has returned detailed insights into the universe. In recognition of Hubble's longevity, NASA and the European Space Agency have released several new images from the orbiting observatory, including a rich photo of the Rosette Nebula, a sprawling star-forming region of space. It's a view into a rapidly evolving, extreme cosmic realm. "The clouds are being eroded and shaped by the seething radiation from the cluster of larger stars in the center of the nebula (NGC 2440)," ESA wrote in a statement. "An embedded star seen at the tip of a dark cloud in the upper right portion of the image is launching jets of plasma that are crashing into the cold cloud around it." SEE ALSO: NASA scientist viewed first Voyager images. What he saw gave him chills. The greater Rosette Nebula is 100 light-years across, but this view zooms into an area some 4 light-years wide (a light-year is nearly 6 trillion miles). Silhouetted in the foreground are dark, dominant, V-shaped clouds of hydrogen gas. "It looks like thick smoke that has billowed out irregularly, thicker along the line from top left to bottom right, and looser on the piece that goes toward the top right," ESA explained. At the upper right tip of this shadowy feature is a conspicuous red glow, stoked by a star blasting hot gas into the cold dark cloud, which creates shockwaves. Expansive clouds of illuminated background gas appear in vivid yellow and orange. A portion of the Rosette Nebula recently viewed by the Hubble Space Telescope. Credit: NASA / ESA / STScI Some 2,500 stars are located in the greater Rosette Nebula, which is some 5,200 light-years away in our Milky Way galaxy. Nebulae are vital engines in the cosmos, as they host clouds of dust and gas that can amass together, collapse into hot protostars, and form stars — many of which will host their own planets. Hubble has captured over 1.6 million detailed observations because it orbits 320 miles above Earth, so its observations are not distorted by our planet's thick atmosphere. It also packs a nearly 8-foot-wide mirror, allowing for a high resolution of distant objects like the Rosette Nebula. "Hubble can resolve objects 1,000 times better than the human eye," NASA explained. "That's enough to see two fireflies separated by about 10 feet (3 meters) from roughly the distance between New York City and Tokyo (about 7,000 miles or 11,000 kilometers)." Perhaps its most revolutionary image was taken three decades ago, over a period of 10 days, in 1995. The Hubble Deep Field revealed a cornucopia of galaxies, including those not previously possible to see.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Hubble Space Telescope Is 35: Don't Miss These 4 Dazzling Anniversary Images
The most famous telescope in history has reached a major milestone -- it's 35 years old. The Hubble Space Telescope launched on a grand scientific adventure to study the cosmos on April 24, 1990. NASA and the European Space Agency are pulling out all the stops for the telescope's 35th anniversary with the reveal of four stunning new space images. The celebratory views include Mars, two nebulas and a galaxy. The variety of targets shows off Hubble's versatility and ability to see not only into deep space, but also into our own solar system. NASA dropped a host of superlatives with words like "transformative," "evocative," "engaging" and "accessible" in its anniversary release statement. It's all true. Hubble's discoveries have been covered in over 22,000 papers, but its influence reaches far beyond science journals. It has shaped the public's view of our universe through groundbreaking images like the Pillars of Creation and the Hubble Deep Field. Check out the anniversary images. Earth may be humanity's favorite planet, but Mars is a close second. Hubble turned its gaze on the red planet at the end of 2024. The crisp views highlight the planet's northern polar cap at the beginning of the Martian spring. Gauzy clouds make Mars look like a frosty marble. A white dwarf star lingers at the center of planetary nebula NGC 2899. This is one of the cosmic objects you can let your imagination run wild with. It resembles a misshapen butterfly or a moth in flight. ESA suggested the pinched middle looks like a half-eaten doughnut. Gas and dust give the nebula its unique look. All this beauty traces to the tumultuous death of its central star. Hubble's look at the Rosette Nebula focuses on a small part of a much larger formation. The nebula is a place of active star formation. "Dark clouds of hydrogen gas laced with dust are silhouetted across the image," ESA said. "The clouds are being eroded and shaped by the seething radiation from the cluster of larger stars in the center of the nebula." NGC 5335 is a barred spiral galaxy like our Milky Way. Hubble's image shows the distinctive bar across the middle of NGC 5335. "The bar channels gas inwards toward the galactic center, fueling star formation," said ESA. "Such bars are dynamic in galaxies and may come and go over two-billion-year intervals." Hubble orbits Earth. Space is a tough place to live. The telescope's designers planned to get 15 years of use out of it, but Hubble handily outlasted that goal. Hubble's longevity hasn't been easy. The telescope has weathered an array of technical problems over the years. NASA dispatched five space shuttle servicing missions to Hubble, with the last in 2009. There are no more space shuttles in operation, so the Hubble team handles all fixes from afar. That has meant some big changes to Hubble's operations, particularly with the gyroscopes that help point it in the right direction. The Hubble team has had to get creative, but they've kept the aging observatory up and running and delivering fresh science and imagery. Every Hubble anniversary feels like a triumph for the elderly space telescope. It may have a few more anniversaries left in it. NASA hopes it will continue operations into the 2030s. Long live Hubble.
