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Hubble celebrates 25 years of capturing our Universe
Image source, NASA/ESA
The Hubble Space Telescope has celebrated its 25th birthday with a spectacular image of young stars blazing across a dense cloud of gas and dust.
The "Westerlund 2" cluster of stars is located about 20,000 light-years away in the constellation Carina.
Image source, x
Named after the astronomer Edwin Hubble, the telescope has recorded some of the most detailed visible-light images ever, allowing a deep view into space and time.
Image source, NASA
"Even the most optimistic person to whom you could have spoken back in 1990 couldn't have predicted the degree to which Hubble would rewrite our astrophysics and planetary science textbooks," commented Nasa Administrator Charlie Bolden.
Charlie added: "A quarter of a century later, Hubble has fundamentally changed our understanding of our Universe and our place in it."
Image source, NASA, ESA, and Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)
Engineers expect the observatory to keep operating for at least another five years.
Image source, NASA, ESA, and E. Karkoschka
Image source, NASA / ESA
Image source, NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team
Image source, NASA, ESA, and J. Hester (ASU)
Image source, NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage
Image source, NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team
Image source, NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team