The Hubble Space Telescope’s Finest Photos
Now that the telescope has received its final upgrades, we look back on Hubble's most memorable images from space
- By Joseph Caputo
- Smithsonian.com, May 06, 2009
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(Courtesy of NASA)
The World's Most Famous Telescope
In April 1990, a tin can the size of a school bus was dropped off 353 miles above the Earth’s surface. Its mission: Take clear pictures of the universe without interference from the planet’s atmosphere. Nineteen years later, NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has transmitted hundreds of thousands of spectacular images to astronomers back home. From far-away stars and neighboring planets to evidence of dark matter and the precise age of the universe, these photographs have allowed us to see what once existed only in scientists' computations.
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Comments (75)
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I may chuckle for several days at "James" reference to "foul mouth weed suckers, or, smokers" from his 2011 entry..What a tool you are, brother ! "foul mouthed" , maryjuana ?? What was that IQ, again, bro'? ...heh, heh, man o' man !!
Posted by david montgomery on January 16,2013 | 09:43 PM
Many years ago i was humiliated and shamed and too young to let it pass and in a fiery, tearful rage, prayed to be taken away from the pain..That night, in a dream, I was taken on a voyage thru our solar system..to see the planets..the colors were as vivid as these and the blackness of space was a color unlike any I had ever seen..I woke up and Thanked God ! Will never forget it..Was just like these photos..!
Posted by David Montgomery on January 16,2013 | 09:36 PM
The light from a distant sun can take thousands of years to reach Earth. Looking at the night sky is like watching ghosts—some of the stars may have burnt out long ago. In 2004, Hubble captured a light burst from the star V838 Monocerotis, a red supergiant on the outer edge of our Milky Way. The light pulse, which illuminates the dust clouds surrounding the star, took place 20,000 years ago. Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/The-Hubble-Space-Telescopes-Finest-Photos.html#ixzz2HqKLE4iN Follow us: @SmithsonianMag on Twitter
Posted by on January 13,2013 | 03:40 AM
Nice hubble telescope picture
Posted by Mary on January 10,2013 | 07:08 PM
What? The Ultra Deep Field did not make the "Top" list? I guess looking at the first galaxies and stars ever created has no significance within the scientific community...
Posted by Big Mack on November 29,2012 | 11:09 PM
The Hubble may actually be one of the most cost effective scientific tools developed to date. And such beautiful images!
Posted by Andy850 on June 26,2012 | 10:12 PM
I don't if Stephen Hawkings believes in God or not-- I care more that I believe in Him, that my Priest Elizabeth and her congragation believe... The universe we know as well as the infinite number (remember Georg cantor and math for sets larger than themselves etc)of universesI also believe that can circumvent the SPEED OF LIGHT, which is necessary to leave our solar system, period
Posted by Mark on June 14,2012 | 02:57 PM
I am as an art teacher I think in future we will overcome the speed of time and will be discover many alien planet in the universe . Some of them are very advenced to the magnatic technology than us and they are very hostile for the human civilisation.Though our mission will be continue by the magnatic force and element experiment progress.I Think Stephen W. Howking"s coment that "There is no God,But The Universe has create it self."It will be take a lots of time to proven for the human.
Posted by Md Shafiul Haque on May 28,2012 | 02:20 PM
Just so amazing! I come to this website every week to look at the photos. I love just staring at them. These ones are very unique. We should give our thanks to the Hubble, the people who made it, the scientists who brought it to life, and the people who helped to repair it in space. The Hubble has helped us learn so much and see so much about our universe. We should give it a round of applause!
Posted by Prachi Verma on February 17,2012 | 04:20 PM
I am 10 years old and I like science.I want to be a scientist when I grow up.I like the pictures that the Hubble telescope has taken.I want to be a scientist that studies outer space.I want to discover a new planet and aliens and go into outer space.I want to learn about other galaxies
from, Hayley Jackson ... p.s. I am a creative young girl who wants to learn more.
Posted by hayley jackson on November 9,2011 | 06:38 PM
Incredible images. Whether you believe in God as I do, or don't as some of the foul mouthed weed smokers don't, it has something for everyone. The images are beautiful enough, to mesmerize any who view them. So enjoy them minus the verbal warfare. I say that that only God is capable of creating these images. It's alright with me if you don't believe. Thank all the people who were involved in presenting this show for us, and thank you Lord for allowing us to view your artwok
Posted by james on September 10,2011 | 02:04 PM
...when i was in school we only had a picture of the moon taken from earth...Today we have so much and it overwhelms me in its complexity and beauty...Everything i see indicates a higher being is responsible for this....Thank you for the great photos and work...
Posted by david place on February 8,2011 | 04:52 PM
What's with all the Bible-thumping in these comments? The photographs are beautiful, but let's get real, folks: they neither prove nor disprove the existence of God.
"The greatest error in philosophy consists of projecting our subjective beliefs onto the objective universe."
-Will Durant
Posted by T.P. Carr on February 7,2011 | 08:43 PM
who those photos are amazing! How the heck did they get those?
Posted by Eli in Ohio on January 23,2011 | 01:00 PM
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