This week, NASA is celebrating 25 years of the Hubble Space Telescope.
On April 24, 1990, the space shuttle Discovery rocketed into orbit carrying a precious payload, the Hubble Space Telescope. Soon after launch, the discovery of a flawed mirror became one of the biggest disappointments in NASA history. In 1993, a daring shuttle mission installed “eyeglasses” to correct its blurry vision—and Hubble finally lived up to its full potential. Through 2009, four more shuttle crews visited Hubble to add new instruments and to repair and renovate the spacecraft, making it arguably the most significant telescope in the history of astronomy. Hubble’s observations—from nearby bodies in our solar system to the most distant galaxies—have revolutionized our understanding of the known universe. Join our distinguished panel of scientists and engineers as they celebrate Hubble’s 25th anniversary and discuss some of the most significant discoveries made by the “crown jewel” of astronomy!
You can see more of Hubble’s fabulous images here.
To celebrate Hubble’s anniversary, we are running a competition! You could win a Dobsonian 6″ Telescope, enter by clicking here.
Originally published by Cosmos as Images mark 25 years of Hubble’s stargazing
Bill Condie
Bill Condie is a science journalist based in Adelaide, Australia.
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