Hundreds of years after Galileo first used the telescope to observe the heavens, scientists and astronomers have flocked to the highest mountaintops to catch a better glimpse of space. After the Hubble Space Telescope launched, astronomers were able to see the stars like never before.
Named after the astronomer Edwin Hubble, the Hubble Space Telescope was the first major telescope to be placed in space.
Galileo Galilei was
not the first person
to create the telescope.
He was, however, the first
person to use
it to look at the stars.
On April 24, 1990, securely fastened on board the Space Shuttle Discovery, the Hubble Space Telescope left Earth’s atmosphere to explore and capture images from the farthest corners of the galaxy.
You might picture a telescope drifting aimlessly through space and taking pictures at random, but not so with this telescope. Hubble floats 340 miles above Earth’s surface and can capture images up close or far away. It can take pictures of an asteroid passing or a galaxy forming lightyears away.
Edwin Hubble was the first to discover
that there are other galaxies
besides the Milky Way.
When Hubble was first launched, some of its primary objectives were to:
• Provide a long-term space research facility for observing space
• Observe the natural processes and characteristics of stars, solar systems, galaxies, and other celestial bodies
• Study the history of the universe and how it has changed over time
One important discovery from the telescope was a force that scientists call “dark energy.” Dark energy is the force causing the universe to expand and makes up about 68% of the universe. We don’t know much about dark energy, but, thanks to Hubble, scientists can observe and learn more about it every day.
The Hubble Space Telescope weighed
24,000 pounds when it was launched
and was 43.5 feet in length.
Any scientist who wants to observe an image in space can request time with the Hubble Space Telescope. All images are available to the public after six months, which gives scientists time to make discoveries and confirm theories. Although anyone can use the telescope, there are so many scientists making requests that a special committee was set up to approve which scientists and projects get time with the telescope.
Scientists do not know who is on the
special committee and the committee is
not given the names of the scientists who
request to use the telescope. This ensures
that the best projects get access to
the telescope first without any favorites.
Since its launch, the Hubble Space Telescope has reshaped the way humans view space and has sparked inspiration for thousands of young astronomers and scientists. With each new discovery, the human race is learning more about the vast universe that surrounds Earth and how the events in space affect the cosmos. Every day, the Hubble Space Telescope uncovers secrets hidden in the darkest and farthest reaches of the universe and provides us with stunning images of space that were never before possible.