No mission has ever captured the public’s imagination quite like Hubble. Since its launch on 24 April 1990, the venerable space telescope has made over 1.5 million observations of planets, star clusters, nebulae and galaxies that not only look stunning, but have furthered our understanding of the universe. From its position in orbit 535 kilometres (332 miles) above our planet, Hubble is free from the atmospheric distortion that plagues ground-based observatories, giving it a clear picture. But this wasn’t always the case. The first images Hubble returned were distorted; astronomers concluded that the telescope’s main mirror had been sent into space flawed. Corrective optics were devised, installed by a Space Shuttle mission in 1993, and from then on its place among the stars was cemented. Even with its successor, the James Webb Space Telescope, now operational, Hubble shows no signs of slowing down.
WESTERLUND 2
23 APRIL 2015
Stars burst to life in this mesmerising image, with topaz and amethyst-hued clouds of gas and dust lit up by the harsh radiation of the thousands of young stars speckled across the background sky. For Hubble’s 25th anniversary, astronomers focused the telescope on a region known as Gum 29, 20,000 light years away in the constellation of Carina. The stellar firework just right of centre is Westerlund 2, a cluster of stars estimated to be just 2 million years old.
MESSIER 51 AND NGC 5195
25 APRIL 2005
Known as the Whirlpool Galaxy due to its glittering arms, Messier 51 is a grand-design spiral galaxy 25,000 light years away. Its sweeping swirls are where new stars are being born from dense hydrogen clouds, while its yellow centre is much older.
Denne historien er fra Issue 142-utgaven av All About Space UK.
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Denne historien er fra Issue 142-utgaven av All About Space UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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15 AUTUMN STARGAZING TARGETS
Go on a night-sky treasure hunt as the brighter evenings give way to the cooler months
MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE WHY IS VENUS SO DRY?
A new study reckons the answer lies high in the Venusian atmosphere
WHEN BLACK HOLES TURN WHITE
Can bouncing black holes help physicists find the ultimate theory of everything?
THE MOON'S THIN ATMOSPHERE IS MADE BY CONSTANT METEORITE BOMBARDMENT
While the solar wind also contributes to the atmosphere, meteorites are the main culprit
INTERSTELLAR TRAVEL AND HOW TO BECOME A SPACE TOURIST
Having explored much of the Solar System, attention is now turning to the stars beyond
NASA'S PERSEVERANCE ROVER FINDS POSSIBLE SIGNS OF ANCIENT RED PLANET LIFE
Further analysis is needed, but a rock contains potential evidence that life once existed on Mars in the distant past
A NASA TELESCOPE MAY HAVE FOUND ANTIMATTER ANNIHILATING IN POSSIBLY THE BIGGEST EXPLOSION SINCE THE BIG BANG
The massive explosion was captured in 2022
Jameel Janjua "This is how we get to Mach 3”
Jameel Janjua made it to the bitter end in a Canadian government astronaut selection in 2009, but wasn't chosen. He found a different path to space through Virgin Galactic
BOEING NEEDS TO IMPROVE QUALITY CONTROL ON THE SLS MOON ROCKET
The NASA Inspector General's report finds serious quality-control issues affecting the upgraded version and expects cost overruns and delays
DARK ENERGY
THE MOST DOMINANT FORCE IN THE UNIVERSE IS ALSO ITS MOST MYSTERIOUS AND MOST UNANTICIPATED
