The Hubble Space Telescope’s Finest Photos

I'm a simple housewife, and I don't have any academic study of science, but I'm happy that I cold see, with my son and daughter (12&10 y. old), those images, that are soo wonderfull. I hope that you could show more of it. Thank you, Emily, (Portugal)

Many years ago, I was almost killed in a car accident. During the minutes when I was between life and death, I had what I later learned was a near death experience. People asked me to describe the feeling, but until I saw my first picture of the Eagle Nebula, I couldn't describe it. Now when asked to describe the experience, I tell them "I felt like you'll feel when you see your first image of this nebula" Thank you Hubble.

PLEASE EXPLAIN THE CONSEQUENCES IF OUR GALAXY WERE TO COLLIDE INTO ANOTHER GALAXY AND IF THERE ARE ANY CURRENT POSSIBILITIES OF THAT HAPPENING IN THE NEAR FUTURE. THANK YOU

Hi Wayne,

There is an answer to your question about what happens when two galaxies collide. I asked Mark Reid, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, about that in January for the Around the Mall blog (http://tinyurl.com/oqzkh7)and here's what he said:

"If you’re sitting here on the Earth, you would never know it because there’s so much empty space between all the stars. If we have two populations of stars merging through each other, they won’t collide or things like that. But what will happen is the Milky Way and the other galaxy Andromeda will change dramatically. They might merge into one galaxy for example. So over very long time periods the entire sky would change. In fact, it’s possible that the sun and Earth could get ejected out of the galaxy in such a collision. That’s a distinct possibility. It wouldn’t affect life here, but it would certainly affect what we see when we look out into the universe."

I'm not a math wiz or a scientist, but if the rings of Uranas can only be seen by Earthbound scientists every 42 years and the rings were only discovered in 1977...how do they know they can only see them every 42 years? Just wondering?

I LOVE the idea of space exploration and the thought that we are going to the deepest edges of the galaxy to capture glimpses of other galaxies... some much older, some in the infant stage. But there are a few things that trouble me to the point where I cant believe that these images are not from someones imagination and put together in a photo editing software...

1. The exposure is always perfect
2. The Hubble looks like it is made out of aluminum foil
3. The Clarity of the pictures are phenomenal

The biggest problem I have believing that these photos are really sent from the Hubble...

4. We are getting crystal clear images from MILLIONS of miles away in deep space, yet I cant get Cell reception at my house?

I am, among other things, a landscape painter. When I see extraordinary images like this I think of it as a beautiful scene that I'd love to paint. I wonder if this still comes under the heading of 'landscape painting'- it's almost a dreamscape!! I've just GOT to try to make something of this! Thanks so much for such breathtaking beauty- there's no end of it in the universe, is there?

I can now imagine something of what happened when God "spoke" light into being. I don't necessarily believe that Creation unfolded as is told in Genesis 1, but after seeing Hubble images for years I can believe that such stunningly beautiful light would have been an excellent beginning.

I don't always agree with government expenditures for space when so many humans lack basic necessities, especially peace, but such lovliness does lift the spirit. Hallelujah for the builders of Hubble!!

Rev. Barbara A. Cullom

Our congratulations and gratitude to all those who had a hand in Hubble's conception and support for its on-going exploration.

In a country and world that is learning to live more frugally, how can rational scientists support pouring more and more money down the rat-hole of astronomy. How many millions of dollars did each one of these (color-enhanced or added) pictures cost "us," what are we supposed to do with them? As a Board Certified pathologist, a Luddite, and a full professor-academician, I say challenge you to list the benefits accruing to earthbound taxpayers. All it's proven is that you can't seem to get the optics and mechanics right the first time, over and over again. So you have to go back to fix errors. All we have to show for the billions of dollars spent is yet a new round of theories that are just as poorly founded but well propounded, giving rise to nire grant applications, more "Hubbles" and more money down the rat-hole.

When I was a teenager a friend & I would lay down in a darken cemetery were there was limited reflective light and watch the heavens. We had many questions and now after after 60 some years a lot of them are being answered by hubble. Thank you hubble.

These are stunning photographs and I agree with others that it is a wonderful thing to have them available to us to see. Please do more to get the schools and educators to bring these into the classroom and ignite more interest with the kids about science and the unknown universe.

It would be my guess that the visibility of the rings has to do with where the planet is in its orbit in relation to Earth and that it is only visible to us every half orbit around the Sun.

These pictures truly show there is beauty everywhere. I find them very calming and give me an overwhelming sense of a greater being than man. While the world is in turmoil there is beauty if we are willing to look for it. Thank you to all that have "given" us the Hubble Telescope and it's incredible pictures.

This is without a doubt one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen! And to think that we share the same universe! These images seem almost surreal.

Awesome! Makes me even wonder more of how "tiny" we are compared to the entire universe. And yet, up to now, we are the only ones we knew of that exist in it! Million years from now, maybe we can really reach one of those far away stars!

Thank you

There is so much beauty surrounding us! What a beautiful universe we live in! Thank you NASA for being our eyes. I pray that the inhabitants of this planet will take aggressive action in cleaning up our planet and learning to use other ways to keep our planet clean and beautiful.

Could you give some information on the Chinese Astronomers? Names, Their place in Chinese culture, Their Emperor ?

As a grandmother of four beautiful young children, I cannot imagine what else they will see and experience long after me. I hope we're doing all we can to bring this information to their schools. My seven year old wants to be a scientist, as well as artist and he loves music! I'm thrilled! What are the best publications for these young inquisitive children?

i was wondering if it is at all possible to get these images in higher res? I don't mind a watermark on them, but something like 1680x1050 or higher would rule- i'm looking for the dead star, the supernova and the eagle nebula ones i'd love to make them my background thanks :)

Saving the Hubble one last time was well worth it. Kudos to the original designers (except for whoever flubbed the mirror!), and to the astronauts for their difficult work keeping HST going. Those pics are inquiringly beautiful and not just informative.

Our universe is so amazing and filled with such contrasts. I have an autographed picture of Cyndi Lauper on my dresser, and next to it the famous HST shot of a black hole released December 4, 1995. To think, a lovely creature that is a member of the most complex entities in the known universe - so vulnerable next to one of the universe's most extreme and dangerous objects. And both of them challenge our understanding of nature's laws; in different ways, at different frontiers.

Can't think of anything more beautiful than these pics.

Seeing such far away places makes me feel very small indeed. It also makes all the days problems and politics seem to disappear in awe of greater things. Lets not forget that our own planet is also a beautiful gem in this never ending sea, and that saving it should be every human-beings number one priority! What could be more important than the cradle of life as we know it? Also, seeing infinite space has to raise the question: are WE the ONLY life as we know it? If so, what purpose were we put here for? What a gift we were given to be rulers of one of these magnificent balls in space!

This is the high water mark of our technical culture, so far. With this great instrument, we stare off into the beginning of time and the edge of our space, and we find it beautiful. That's actually our job as sentient blobs of matter, near as I can figure. I also love that this telescope was named for such a great astronomer. This whole project also shows the best side of government, the spending of public funds on an expression of the collective will. I'm glad I had a hand in it, if only as a taxpayer and astronomy enthusiast. Hooray for us all.

I could look at these pictures for hours. They would be good for meditation as a wonderful expansion for the mind. Thank you for making them available!

There is nothing more beautiful than the vastness of our universe. The Hubble enables an earth-bound creature to get a glimpse of it all.

as a science freak and educated in the field of science, it is great to see this "tin can" in working operation.space exploration is critical for so many reasons. hopefully we can all board a ship and "take off" to outer space in our future... that is where it all lies. zoom!

I am glad to see you cover the Hubble telescope and make these images available to so many readers. I have visited HubbleSite.org frequently over the past years and enjoy as my PC's wallpaper one of the images downoaded from this great web site. Whenever I start up my PC I am greeted by a spectacular Hubble image. I hope that the US continues to pursue such valuable projects. I encourage other of your readers to visit the Hubble website.

Hubble has transformed astro-physics and observation of the universe from science to art to theology. As god invoked in those old scriptures- 'All was darkness, until Hubble opened its lenses, and all was light.'

After looking at these remarkable and beautiful pictures, how can we not believe in God?

Men could not create such beauty and mysteries.

To all whoever was inspired in the idea of "Hubble" THANK U! And everyone who believed in the idea and participated in building it THANK U!

Magnificient pictures!

Yes, the pictures are beautiful, however, if you were to look in the sky you would not see the nebula's as colorful as they are in the pictures, what you see is a representation of what is seen on a light wavelength other than what is in the physical spectrum, it is a computer that adds the magnificent color.

It is what you would see if you could see x-rays(or infrared, I'm not sure what they are pictures of) with the naked eye.

I loved the comment by Lori in regards to the 42yr. cycle of being able to see the rings of Uranus. Funny how no one has answered this yet. Also, in regards to the comment by Seth Haber, I believe that this is money well spent. It is allowing for research that may not seem like much today, but who knows what scientific advances will come from the knowledge we gain today later in the future. If we always worried about the here and now and not the future, things like the personal computer you are added your comment from would not exist. Oh, and you can also thank NASA for the microwave oven too. Funny how practical things come from places we can't even image right now.

Thanks to our great Astronomers.... Who made us also to view these spatial pics....

Some people say there is no God...they would be foolish to think so after seeing these pictures. Enough that they could think that anyway after looking at nature. Especially the Rockies...

A reply to Chris Varns.

"1. The exposure is always perfect
2. The Hubble looks like it is made out of aluminum foil
3. The Clarity of the pictures are phenomenal

The biggest problem I have believing that these photos are really sent from the Hubble...

4. We are getting crystal clear images from MILLIONS of miles away in deep space, yet I cant get Cell reception at my house?"

1. The exposures are perfect because the hubble sits and looks at its target for hours or even days to collect all the light it can get from a area. The longer it sits and looks in one area the more detail it gathers.

2. Not aluminim really. It has a reflective surface to reflect heat from the sun.

3. There is some sofware that smooths things out, but refer to answer 1. Though it wasnt so perfect in the beginning. The hubble did have a flawed mirror when it was sent up. Prictures would come back fuzzy or kinda distored, but thats been fixed along time ago.

4. Well your talkin about 2 different technologies. Taking a long exposure picture with a camera that could read the fine print of a newspaper from where it sits in space, to crappy cell phone towers. There are lots of reasons you cant get a good reception on your phone.

Nice images, they really make you think that we have no idea what is going on :-)

Patty Biller:
That’s quite a leap, but I shall bite my tongue.

Seth Haber:
I doubt there’s much appreciable utility in studying and preserving art and literature, but they inform and inspire. Likewise, the above photos are truly awe-inspiring. And if you really believe that these photos are the only product of the program, then I guess you might need to read further.

NASA and all involved in the HST:
I’m speechless. Well, almost. Thank you. Thank you.

response to LORI.

It said earthbound astronomers see it every 42 years, when the planet is at an angle so we on earth can see it. The scientist probably measured this cycle with the angle. They probably found the angle with the hubble, which can see the rings all the time because it can move and does not sit behind the earths atmosphere.

these images are amazing makes you realize how large the universe really is....and how high the possibility for life elsewhere other than earth

Response to Seth Haber:

A few hundred years ago, Kepler continued to struggle with the fact that Tycho Brahe's meticulous observations of planetary orbits did not agree with his vision of how the universe worked. Then, he finally decided to try the equation of an Ellipse. What he found changed everything, on many different levels. Granted, the impact of his discovery did not immediately affect the life of earthbound taxpayers in the early 17th century, but this single event weaved repercussions across the centuries. If anything, it taught us the importance of accepting the facts, as Carl explains it: "When Keppler found his long-cherished belief did not agree with the most precise observation, he accepted the uncomfortable fact. He preferred the hard truth to his dearest illusions, that is the heart of science."

Now, the Hubble is not orbiting up there to simply take costly pretty pictures. This is just the beautiful tip of the iceberg. Just because this seems to be outside your field of understanding, you might find that you can not do much with these images. But the data collected today is drastically altering our understanding of the universe every day, we can only imagine the kind of understanding of the Cosmos that we will be able to reach in the future, all thanks to the efforts of science today. This alone, justifies the money spent, the going back to fix mechanics and optics, the continuing of a self-correcting process, and the dedication of lives to this endeavor.

Since you took the time to mention that you are a "Board Certified pathologist, a Luddite, and a full professor-academician", I will have to say that your comments about "the rat-hole of astronomy" seem very shortsighted for someone with your preparation.

I wanted to thank Scott Rivers for recommending HubbleSite.org for its wallpaper images! It's a great place for those of us who might have been inspired to have one of these wonderful photographs up on their computers after looking through the images in this article!

My father worked at Lockheed Martin, and was a part of a team that helped make the HST happen... my gratitude to him and all of the other people responsible for its conception!

Joe Caputo, Hi!
You said in the event of our galaxy colliding (eaten by) with Andromeda and should the sun & earth be ejected it wouldn't effect life here..

..I submit life on earth is dependent on the moon's pull & cycles to sustain life on earth. So it would depend on whether or not the earth's field can hold onto the moon during & after such a wild event of being spun out of our galaxy! That would effect the spin of the earth as well as create an unstable gravitational pull the moon requires to stay in our orbit.
Plus, I wonder if this underestimates the interconnectedness of our solar system & how all our planets depend on one another.

Just sayin'.

I think it is absolutely fantastic that science can determine from observing stars over the past couple of decades with modern telescopes how hot they were billions of years ago, Of course anyone knows that it takes about 10 minutes to bring a two quart tin pan filled with water to a boil. Incredible as is might seem, science has recently discovered that the water needs 3 million years to cool down.

I REALLY THANK 2 THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE WHO SOLVE OUR PROBLEM.THANKS ONCE AGAIN.

First, I'd like to thank the people at NASA who not only dreamed up the idea for the Hubble Telescope, but also made it a reality. The photos it has brought back are not only remarkably beautiful, but also provide us with a better understanding of this amazing universe in which we live.

And in response to the comments by Seth Haber, I would prefer my tax dollars to be spent on projects like this which benefit the entire human race rather than on bailing out rich bankers who have gotten themselves into financial trouble, or on government programs that destroy the lives of innocent unborn children, which demean the human race.

They're really good pictures and give me a great shock.
But it would be perfect if i could see a moving sence of all the photo(especially the 6'th one,the ring-shaped galaxy)

Seth. People said the same thing about Magellon, Columbus, and others.

If people are not willing to risk material things in order to learn and discover, we, the human race, would be in a sad state indeed.

I pity you.

Today,9-11-09, I saw Images from the new alternate spectrum camera recently installed on Hubble. I don't have words to effectively describe anything about them. But there was a word I used alot back in the 60's that may work to some degree in this case...... WOW...WOOOOOOOOW. I hope that one day soon, I will find a site with live streaming from Hubble. If you guys can ignite public awareness with these images, you will surely get a higher priority in the budget allocations. You need active public support in this time of fiscal insanity. I'm not sure of the best way to accomplish this, but, you guys put men on the moon and toy trucks on Mars and lots of stuff that I probably don't know about; so I think that you are smart enough to dance again, in the spotlight. LOVE ETERNAL, Rory Darrow

The entire stock of photos taken by Hubble of The Milky Way are phenomenal, to say the least. I am only a Senior in High School and when i look at these photographs, it makes me think just how much of the world i have yet to see.

My father was a prisoner of war from 1941 thru 1943. He had no childhood so his tollerance to children was limited to say the least. I moved out at age 16 lived beside a waterway and those lonley nights spent gassing into the sky are now complete with your view thank you from Riverton,Illinois,USA

hello there. could it be that all the pictures found throuout the universe are really examples of abstract art. created by those who created the universe? could it be they are kind of like our 4th of july celebration but where the colors never deminish. could it be there is a celebration that existence occured? where it is celebrated that conscioouness came into existence from an enviroment that was here before the universe was created? celebrating their ability to think.learn, problem solve, and remember, as well as the fact that their ideas for existence got to actually happen.please feel free to share this information with the rest of the world.