Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Hubble Marks Its Brilliant 25th

A national treasure...


Pillars of Creation by Hubble

This month marks the 25th anniversary of the Hubble telescope, which has unlocked some of the biggest mysteries in the universe, according to NASA.

To celebrate the anniversary, NASA produced Expect the Unexpected, a video you won't want to miss:  http://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/expect-the-unexpected-in-a-hubble-25th-anniversary-video/

And take a look at Traci Watson's terrific report on Hubble's anniversary on usatoday.com.  

It's likely that no other modern day instrument has stirred as many passions as the Hubble Space Telescope, which marks the 25th anniversary of its launch into orbit on April 24, Watson wrote.

It brought us bitter disappointment one minute and thrills the next, she wrote.

It has provoked sorrow and wonder, devotion and outrage, she added.

At one point, it was a national disgrace.  Now it's a national treasure, with the kind of name recognition usually enjoyed only by pop stars and presidents, Watson reported.

Accompanying her report are videos and photos tracing the demanding engineering challenges Hubble posed, its development and deployment and its infamous fits and starts:

 For a sampling of Hubble masterpieces: 


Carina Nebula
  

Sun spits solar cloud


Cosmic ice sculptures


Eagle Nebula


Cone Nebula


Beta Pictoris


Black Eye Galaxy
  

Young stars in Doradus Nebula


Orion Nebula
  

Dusty clouds over Pismis 24
  

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