NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) celebrated the 35th anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope by releasing a collection of new images that demonstrate the telescope's enduring contributions to astronomy. The images include detailed views of Mars, the Rosette Nebula, the planetary nebula NGC 2899, and the barred spiral galaxy NGC 5335, revealing Hubble's ability to uncover the beauty and hidden details of the universe.
Since its launch, the Hubble Space Telescope conducted nearly 1.7 million observations of over 55,000 astronomical targets, providing insights into the universe, including distant galaxies, nebulae, and black holes, according to Space.com. Launched from the Space Shuttle Discovery on April 24, 1990, and built by Lockheed Martin in Sunnyvale, California, the telescope became one of the most revolutionary instruments in the history of astronomy, as reported by USA Today.
Among the newly released images is a close-up view of Mars, revealing the expansive Tharsis plateau with its chain of dormant volcanoes, including the colossal Olympus Mons. Captured as spring began in the northern hemisphere of Mars, the images also show the planet's northern ice caps and water ice clouds, visible in the ultraviolet spectrum, which give Mars a frosty and intriguing appearance.
Another image captures the beauty of the planetary nebula NGC 2899, located approximately 4,500 light-years away in the southern constellation Vela. The nebula is notable for its colorful gas clouds, with vibrant hues resulting from the abundance of hydrogen and oxygen. Astronomers suspect that two companion stars might be involved in shaping the gas in NGC 2899.
The Hubble Space Telescope also provided a view of the Rosette Nebula, a giant star formation region located 5,200 light-years away. The image reveals dark clouds of hydrogen gas laced with dust, eroded and sculpted by the intense radiation emitted by the cluster of more massive stars at its center. Silhouetted against the nebula's luminous backdrop are stark dark clouds made of hydrogen gas interwoven with dust.
The fourth image features the barred spiral galaxy NGC 5335, swirling about 225 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo. The galaxy exhibits what astronomers call a flocculent structure, with patchy bursts of star formation scattered across its disk. A distinctive bar structure crosses the center of NGC 5335, channeling gas toward its galactic nucleus and promoting star formation.
"Hubble opened a new window on the universe when it was launched 35 years ago. Its stunning images have inspired people around the world, and the data behind those images have revealed surprises about everything: from the first galaxies to planets in our own solar system," said Shawn Domagal-Goldman, acting director of the Astrophysics Division at NASA Headquarters, according to Forbes.
Over the past 35 years, the Hubble Space Telescope contributed to more than 22,000 peer-reviewed scientific papers and was cited over 1.3 million times, demonstrating its impact on the scientific community. Hubble helped scientists measure the age of the universe and contributed to understanding how the universe is expanding. It played a crucial role in the discovery of dark energy, which represents about 70% of the cosmos.
Despite its age, the Hubble Space Telescope continues to unveil the secrets of the universe and make discoveries that shape our fundamental understanding of the cosmos. Its longevity has allowed astronomers to witness astronomical evolutions spanning three decades and return to the same cosmic locations to observe changes that have occurred over this time.
"Before Hubble, no generation had ever had access to unimaginably dynamic views of space, stretching almost throughout its history, from only less than 500 million years after its formation to today," emphasized NASA and ESA officials.
"Hubble is the first space observatory to shed light on dark matter and dark energy," reported Al-Masry Al-Youm. It remains an essential telescope in scientific history after more than three decades of nearly continuous observation. Hubble's ability to measure ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared light continues to capture images in visible light and ultraviolet while the James Webb Space Telescope observes primarily in infrared, making Hubble a valuable and complementary partner to other missions.
The combined work of the Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope is already providing valuable results in the analysis of exoplanets and contributing to the exploration of the early stages of galactic formation. There are plans for a successor to Hubble called the Habitable Worlds Observatory, which will be a large ultraviolet, optical, and infrared space telescope designed to seek out signs of life beyond our solar system.