hubble telescope revolutionized
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today
Arab Today, arab today
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today

Our view of space

Hubble, telescope revolutionized

Arab Today, arab today

Arab Today, arab today Hubble, telescope revolutionized

Computer displays at Hubble Centre
Greenbelt - Arab Today

Hubble, the first telescope to revolutionize modern astronomy and change our view of the universe by offering glimpses of distant galaxies, marks its 25th year in space this week.

"Hubble absolutely has changed the way humans look at the universe and our place in it," said astronomer Jennifer Wiseman, one of the telescope's senior scientists at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

"It shows us that the universe has been changing over time, that stars in fact are an integral part of producing the type of element that we need for life, for planets, for our well-being," she told AFP.

Launched on April 24, 1990 aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery, Hubble orbits the Earth. It doesn't travel to faraway stars but instead snaps incredible pictures of them.

The telescope is the fruit of a collaboration between NASA and the European Space Agency.

Hubble is celebrated as a triumph these days, but almost as soon as it was launched, a major problem was discovered with its main mirror and it did not become operational until three years later. Its repair required a special space shuttle mission in 1993.

After that, the Hubble space telescope became a veritable legend in its own right, exploring the depths of space from its circular path around Earth and transmitting astonishing images of supernovas, or massive explosions that occur with the death of a star, and other celestial bodies.

One of Hubble's best known images is of the vast Carina Nebula, an interstellar cloud of dust, hydrogen gas, helium gas and plasma that lies some 6,500 light years away from Earth.

Hubble, which is named after the pioneering American astronomer Edwin Hubble (1889-1953), has also shown us black holes at the heart of galaxies scientists did not previously know existed.

The 24,000-pound (10-ton) telescope has taken more than a million pictures, including some that have allowed astronomers to more precisely calculate the age of the universe -- about 13.8 billion years old.

Observations from the Hubble combined with powerful telescopes on Earth helped astrophysicists confirm in 1998 that the universe appears to be expanding at an accelerating rate, which earned two Americans the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2011.

Other Hubble discoveries include the first detection of an organic molecule in the atmosphere of a planet circling a distant star far from our galaxy, the Milky Way, and the fact that planetary formation is a relatively common process.

Closer to home, Hubble has advanced knowledge of our own solar system. In March, NASA announced that Hubble had detected a vast ocean under the surface of Ganymedes, Jupiter's biggest moon, widening the range of known celestial bodies on which life forms may exist.

"Hubble has been a major player in enabling people around the world to have a sense of wonder about the universe that we live in," said Wiseman.

The spectacular images that Hubble has sent back have been described as "the most flamboyantly beautiful artworks of our time," according to British art critic Jonathan Jones.

Hubble's images have made their way into popular culture, and can be seen in countless books and even on a Pearl Jam album cover.

Wiseman believes that Hubble still has a few good years ahead of it, as it is in perfect working condition since the last visit by space shuttle astronauts in 2009.

It will continue to operate alongside its successor, the James Webb Space Telescope, which will be 100 times more powerful and should launch in 2018.

"Just as Hubble rewrote all the astronomy texts, Webb will rewrite it again," said NASA astronomer Matt Greenhouse.
Source: AFP

 

arabstoday
arabstoday

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

hubble telescope revolutionized hubble telescope revolutionized

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

hubble telescope revolutionized hubble telescope revolutionized

 



GMT 06:49 2012 Saturday ,01 September

Lamitta Frangieh on her \'Facebook Romance\'

GMT 08:26 2017 Wednesday ,08 February

Qatar spending $500m a week on World Cup projects

GMT 17:00 2017 Tuesday ,27 June

Saudi Arabia rebuts fake news on Turkey, Israel

GMT 10:31 2016 Monday ,12 December

Second Sydney airport cleared for take off

GMT 05:27 2017 Sunday ,16 April

GIB Capital wins 4 EMEA Finance Awards

GMT 13:58 2016 Friday ,30 December

Australia beat Pakistan to win Test series

GMT 10:07 2017 Monday ,17 April

Mark Hamill would like to play George Lucas

GMT 12:10 2016 Tuesday ,13 December

Over 30 dead as Kenya tanker crashes, explodes

GMT 02:13 2017 Monday ,25 September

December22nd-January20th

GMT 15:39 2017 Tuesday ,03 October

Bangladesh rescues 20 Rohingya held by racket gang

GMT 02:51 2017 Friday ,10 November

Under siege, Syria doctors forced to improvise care
Arab Today, arab today
 
 Arab Today Facebook,arab today facebook  Arab Today Twitter,arab today twitter Arab Today Rss,arab today rss  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
arabstoday, Arabstoday, Arabstoday