As scientists and space enthusiasts gather to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope, the mission team has released a stunning array of images captured over the years.
Launched on April 24, 1990, aboard the space shuttle Discovery, Hubble was designed to revolutionize our understanding of the universe.
Unlike ground-based telescopes, Hubble has the advantage of orbiting above Earth’s atmosphere, allowing it to capture celestial phenomena with unparalleled clarity and detail.
The observatory has since completed nearly 1.7 million observations, resulting in more than 22,000 scientific papers and accumulating over 400 terabytes of archived data.
Astronomers continue to highly value observing time with Hubble, with requests oversubscribed by a factor of six.
Officials from the European Space Agency (ESA), which operates Hubble alongside NASA, remarked on the mission’s significance, stating, ‘Hubble’s legacy is the bridge between our past and future knowledge of a universe that is unbelievably glorious, as well as rambunctious.’
They highlighted that prior to Hubble, no generation had access to such vibrant views of space, providing insights that stretch back nearly to the universe’s beginning.
In honor of Hubble’s 35 years in orbit, the recently released images showcase various celestial marvels, from seasonal transformations on Mars to intricate stellar formations.
One of the highlights is a mesmerizing view of Mars captured last December when the planet was about 60 million miles from Earth.
Depicting the Red Planet shrouded in thin water-ice clouds, the images coincide with springtime in Mars’ northern hemisphere.
During the Martian winter, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere freezes, creating a thick ice cap at the North Pole that sublimates as spring temperatures climb, resulting in a smaller ice pocket.
Among the notable features in the images, the Tharsis plateau and the towering Olympus Mons can be seen rising above the clouds.
Another captivating image presents NGC 2899, a planetary nebula that resembles a moth, situated approximately 4,500 light-years away in the southern constellation Vela.
The nebula, illuminated by the gases of hydrogen and oxygen, is sculpted by powerful stellar winds and radiation emanating from a hot, dying star at its center.
Astronomers believe two companion stars may also play a role in shaping the gas structures, with the image revealing pinpoint-like white stars near the center.
The gaseous ‘pillars’ within the nebula are interestingly directed toward these central stars, showcasing the interplay of stellar forces.
A breathtaking close-up of the Rosette Nebula, located about 5,200 light-years from Earth, reveals a dynamic region filled with dark clouds of hydrogen gas and dust.
These clouds are animated; they are continuously molded and compressed by the intense radiation from the energetic star cluster NGC 2244 at the nebula’s core.
A young star can be seen at the tip of a dark cloud, actively expelling jets of superheated plasma that create shock waves upon colliding with the surrounding material.
This interaction not only generates heat but also causes the gas to glow with a distinctive red hue, while paler colors represent the presence of hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen.
Throughout the image, vibrant red and purple stars are scattered, with the most prominent located at the right edge.
The entire Rosette Nebula extends across 100 light-years, although this view represents merely four light-years of its vastness.
One of the stunning additions to the collection is a spectacular image of the barred spiral galaxy NGC 5335, found about 225 million light-years away in the Virgo constellation.
This galaxy displays a ‘flocculent’ structure, characterized by patchy star formation rather than the defined arms typical of many spiral galaxies, including our Milky Way.
The faint structures that do emerge from NGC 5335 spiral outward counterclockwise from the center.
Additionally, a distinct bar of stars and gas intersects the bright center of the galaxy, channeling material inward to fuel new star formation.
Galactic bars like this are temporary features found in about 30% of galaxies, developing and dissipating over billions of years.
As we reflect on Hubble’s milestones, it’s clear that its contributions to astronomy have transformed our understanding of the cosmos and ignited a passion for exploration that continues to inspire future generations.
image source from：https://www.space.com/space-exploration/hubble-space-telescope/hubble-telescope-snaps-stunning-portraits-of-mars-a-celestial-moth-and-more-in-spectacular-35th-anniversary-photos
