Hubble Space Telescope Launched in 1990 Orbits Earth above our atmosphere Can “see” >13 billion light years away!

1 light year… A light year is a measure of distance The distance light can travel in 1 year Nearly 10 trillion km 1 light year = 9,500,000,000,000 kilometers (5,903,030,000,000 mi) Our Milky Way is 150,000 light years across Hubble can “see” >13 billion light years away!

Who Was Edwin Hubble? American astronomer (1889-1953) First to show that the universe is expanding (Hubble’s Law) "Equipped with his five senses, man explores the universe around him and calls the adventure Science."

Why a Space Telescope? Earth’s atmosphere distorts the view of land-based telescopes Atmosphere blocks/absorbs radiation, ultraviolet waves, x-rays… all important for viewing distant objects Solution: put the telescope beyond the atmosphere Hubble orbits 353 miles above Earth One rotation every 97 minutes

Gas Pillars in the Eagle Nebula (M16): Pillars of Creation in a Star-Forming Region

Crab Nebula

Interacting Galaxy Arp 148

Out of This Whirl: the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) and Companion Galaxy

Hubble's Closest View of Mars -- August 27, 2003

Orion Nebula

The Eskimo Nebula (NGC 2392)

Massive Star VY Canis Majoris - Polarized Light

Jupiter and its moon

New Red Spot Appears on Jupiter

Hubble Observes Infant Stars in Nearby Galaxy

Spiral Galaxy M74 Spiral Galaxy M74 Spiral Galaxy M74

Cone Nebula (NGC 2264): Star-Forming Pillar of Gas and Dust Radiation from hot stars off the top of the picture illuminates and erodes this giant, gaseous pillar. Additional ultraviolet radiation causes the gas to glow, giving the pillar its red halo of light.

A String of 'Cosmic Pearls' Surrounds an Exploding Star

Springtime on Neptune — 1998 Image of Neptune

Saturn Prior to Cassini Probe's Arrival

Galaxy Triplet Arp 274

Planetary Nebula NGC 6751

Crater Tycho on the Moon

Venus Cloud Tops

Cat’s Eye Nebula

The Majestic Sombrero Galaxy (M104) A brilliant white core is encircled by thick dust lanes in this spiral galaxy, seen edge-on. The galaxy is 50,000 light-years across and 28 million light years from Earth.

Colorful Demise of a Sun-like Star

Carina nebula

Star V838 Monocerotis (V838 Mon) - December 17, 2002

Ring Nebula (M57)

The Tadpole Galaxy: Distorted Victim of Cosmic Collision

Helix Nebula The Helix Nebula: a Gaseous Envelope Expelled By a Dying Star

This giant spiral disk of stars, dust and gas is 170,000 light-years across, or nearly twice the diameter of our Milky Way galaxy. M101 is estimated to contain at least one trillion stars. About 100 billion of them could be similar to our Sun.

A Perfect Storm of Turbulent Gases in the Omega/Swan Nebula (M17)