Hubble Telescope Facts

Named after the American astronomer Edwin Hubble and a major breakthrough in science explorations was the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Why a major breakthrough? Well, this instrument was the solution to the quandary which scientists have been facing since the dawn of the telescopes. Ever wondered as to why do we see the stars twinkle when we gaze at the sky? The reason for this are the shifting air pockets in the Earth's atmosphere which distort the view which we get from the earth. It is the same with the telescopes on the ground. Even large and latest scientifically advanced telescopes worked in vain. Not only does the atmosphere creates a distortion of the view of the instruments, but it also blocks or absorbs certain wavelengths of radiation, like ultraviolet, gamma and X-rays, before they hit the Earth. To study a heavenly body like a star, scientists require to study and get some inference from the different wavelengths emitted by it.

All such problems were done away with by placing Hubble beyond the atmosphere of the Earth; 569 km away! Hundreds of thousands of images of the space have been the tremendous output which the HST has beamed back to Earth. The aftereffects? Determination of the age, identity of the quasars (a star-like object that may send out radio waves and other forms of energy) and the presence of the dark energy (a mysterious force that causes the expansion of the universe to accelerate).

Hubble Facts Explained

April 24th 1990, was witness to this grand event in the history of science exploration of launching the HST into the Earth's orbit [569 km (353 miles) above the surface of the Earth].

Hubble has a gold pin strapped to it. It was used to help anchor this huge instrument in the space shuttle's cargo for its launch. A light remark from a Hubble serviceman Mike Massimino quoted, "We need to get that thing and bring it home to help pay for the mission!"

By the year 1979, preparation for the mission included the training of the astronauts in an underwater tank to simulate weightlessness, using a telescope mock up.

After Hubble was situated in its place in the space, NASA scientists identified an error which resulted in blurry images in being sent by the telescope back to the Earth. The error was in the primary mirror of the telescope. In order to correct this flaw, 11 months went into the training for conducting one of the most complex missions ever attempted; the mission of repairing and servicing the telescope in nowhere but 'SPACE!'

The HST has the ability to detect light ranging from the ultraviolet through infrared (115 - 2500 nanometers). The Sun and the Moon which lie too close to the sun, remain out of the observations of the telescope.

The power usage by this huge machine is about 2800 watts and the solar power feeds it with the energy to function. For this purpose, 25 ft. solar panels were built into the telescope. For storing the power, it uses 6 nickel-hydrogen (NiH) batteries and its storage capacity equals those of 20 car batteries.

May 20th, 1990 was the day of Hubble's maiden output in the form of images from the space. 120 GB of science data every week, is the output which this telescope gives.

Contrary to the assumption of the age of the Universe being 10 - 20 billion years, Hubble revealed a more accurate data of the age being 13 - 14 billion years.

Hubble has been able to show the scientists, galaxies in all stages of evolution. Toddler galaxies which were around the universe during its 'youth', were no exception to the discoveries made by the telescope. All such information helped to add to the theory of how galaxies form.

The HST also help scientists find protoplanetary disks, clumps of gas and dust around young stars. These young stars were assumed to be the birth grounds for new planets. Not only these, the instrument has also managed to confirm the presence of black holes in the galaxies close to the Earth. The instrument in the telescope which does the work for hunting black holes is known as the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS).

The popularity of a great invention such as Hubble not only comes from its different abilities to explore the space but also its policies. Any proposal by any astronomer for the telescope is welcomed and so does any request to spend some time with it.

All good things come to an end, and so will this great invention which took place in the Earth's lifetime. The working components of the Hubble Space Telescope will gradually degrade and eventually cease to function. However, it is truly said that "Hubble's legacy, its discoveries, its trailblazing design, its success in showing us the universe in unparalleled detail will live on forever!"