Today, the Hubble Space Telescope turns 25. 24thApril, 1990, was lifted into low-Earth orbit by Space Shuttle Discovery. It has captured some of the finest visible-light images, giving us an unprecedented view into time and space. Numerous Hubble observations led to significant breakthroughs in Astrophysics such as the ability to determine how quickly the Universe expands. The European Space Agency (ESA) built it and now the Space Telescope Science Institute operates it. This brilliant mosaic of stars bursting to life looks like fireworks in the 25th Anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope. NASA Image. NASA and ESA celebrate the Hubble Space Telescope (HST)’s silver anniversary by sharing some space fireworks. We are shown some fireworks from nature, a huge cluster of 3 stars known as Westerlund 2. This star cluster can be found in Gum 29,, a stellar breeding ground where new stars form. It is approximately 20,000 lightyears from Earth in the constellation Carina. It is approximately two million years old. This is a very young age in the field of astronomy. This cluster contains many of the galaxy’s brightest, most hottest and largest stars (Milky Way). These stars, which are the most massive in size, emit a flood of ultraviolet light that causes hurricane-force winds to etch away any hydrogen gas clouds that surround them. NASA says that this creates an imaginary celestial landscape with ridges and valleys. Because the star nursery is enclosed by dust, it can be difficult to observe. This picture was possible thanks to images taken by Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys in visible light and the Wide Field Camera 3 at near-infrared wavelengths. This image was described by the European Space Agency as “a testimony to Hubble’s observational power” and shows that even after 25 years, it’s still a story. Hubble set the scene for James Webb Space telescope – which is scheduled to launch in 2018. However, it will not immediately replace the next-generation observatory.
Hubble Space Telescope celebrates 25 years of existence with natural fireworks
