NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has spent over 20 years in space, taking images of the cosmos unlike anything we have ever seen before. In honor of the last day of World Space Week, we're sharing some of our favorite, and most beautiful, photos with you.
The Hubble Space Telescope, named after astronomer Edwin Hubble, launched into low Earth orbit in 1990. It has a mirror that measures about 8 feet wide and four instruments that allow observation of near ultraviolet, visible and near infrared spectrums of light.
Because of Hubble's unique position in Earth's orbit, it has a greater view of the cosmos than ground-based telescopes, which deal with the Earth's atmosphere and can result in distortions in light. This gives Hubble an unprecedented view of the Universe.
Hubble is also one of the most long-lasting scientific missions of all time. While in orbit, it has taken hundreds of thousands of images, helping scientists understand everything from how old the Universe is to learning about the mysteries of dark energy and quasars.
Hubble allows us to see galaxies we've never seen before, and has led to some major scientific breakthroughs. Thanks to Hubble, we know that the Universe is 13.7 billion years old and that there are hundreds, if not thousands of planets outside our solar system, many in other galaxies like ours, orbiting their own sun. Hubble has also raised more mysteries about the Universe, and its results are still changing what we know about how it formed.
"Its ability to show the universe in unprecedented detail has turned astronomical conjectures into concrete certainties," says the official Hubble website. "It has winnowed down the collection of theories about the universe even as it sparked new ones, clarifying the path for future astronomers."
Scientists published more than 9,000 research papers based on data and photographs collected by Hubble. Most importantly, though, is the impact of Hubble and its images on the general population.
Of course, after over two decades in space, the Hubble team is preparing for that day when it finally stops working. But the data and images collected by Hubble will forever live on and continue inspiring both skywatchers and astronomers for generations to come.
