Jump to content

SkySurveyBanner.jpg.21855908fce40597655603b6c9af720d.jpg

  • entry
    1
  • comment
    1
  • views
    1,793

How the Hubble Space Telescope changed astronomy


HridaySabz

1,957 views

From the beginning of the human race, to nearly only 400 years ago, everything we knew about space would be observed from the naked eye. Then Galileo came up with his telescope, and the world awakened. We learned Saturn had rings. Jupiter had moons. Within just a few years  of that, our entire understanding of the Universe changed. In the next few centuries, telescopes became more complex, of different sizes, lengths, and powers. Hubble is up in space, the ultimate viewing spot. Unhindered by weather, light pollution, or any other inconveniences, it is used by scientists to study the great cosmos.

hubble_earth_sp01.jpg

For 26 years now, the HST (Hubble Space Telescope) has been enthralling us with its spectacular images of nebulae, galaxies, and other space phenomena. However, the telescope does more than just take pictures all day for us to enjoy. The HST was a combined NASA(National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and ESA (European Space Agency) project, which went up with tons more scientific instruments than just a powerful camera.


heic0206a.jpg


Since being put in orbit, over 4000 astronomers have used it to publish ~13000 scientific papers on various topics. The HST is truly a marvel of civilization. When Hubble went up, it had a flawed mirror, which was sending back blurry images. After a 1993 servicing mission, the flaws were rectified, and from then, it's been taking pictures of all the amazing things we know it for. It's been used to look at other planets, their moons, further galaxies, and nebulae.

It's been used to find water on planets, moons, and other asteroids. It's been used to map Pluto, the furthest planet from us (now a dwarf planet). NASA's New Horizons mission will rival the HST, but it will take 9 years to get close enough to Pluto to give any challenge to the HST.
It's been used to calculate the lifespan of the universe, Hubble helped astronomers nail down the age of the universe with an accuracy of about 5 percent. Our Galaxy, the Milky Way is set to collide with the Andromeda Galaxy, speeding towards us at the speed of a bullet. We know this all thanks to Hubble.

Quote

"When massive stars reach the end of their lives, they explode in a fiery death known as a supernova. These violent blowouts may leave behind black holes or supercompact neutron stars even as they blow the heavy elements that form in the heart of the star through their galaxy. Hubble has helped scientists to better understand the supernova process." - Space.com

 
 

Check out the gallery below to see what kinds of amazing pictures the HST has taken over the years, and also check out my original blog over at http://hridaysabir.blogspot.in/ to keep up with the latest topics I write on.

 

heic0206c.jpg

heic0503a.jpg

heic0506a.jpg

heic0601a.jpg

heic0602a.jpg

heic0604a.jpg

heic0706a.jpg

heic0707a.jpg

heic0719a.jpg

heic0817a.jpg

heic0910i.jpg

heic1007a.jpg

heic1104a.jpg

heic1107a.jpg

heic1110a.jpg

heic1307a.jpg

heic1509a.jpg

heic1516a.jpg

heic1608a.jpg

opo0511a.jpg

opo0624a.jpg

opo9828c.jpg

potw1345a.jpg

  • Like 2

1 Comment


Recommended Comments

Thanks for sharing those. I remember seeing some of them  (or similar) when they were first published (I am thinking it may have been in the National Geographic magazine? Or maybe Science?). Anyway, I enjoyed seeing them!

Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.