The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is a space telescope that was carried into orbit by the Space Shuttle Discovery in April 1990. It is named after the American astronomer Edwin Hubble. Although not the first space telescope, the Hubble is one of the largest and most versatile, and is well-known as both a vital research tool and a public relations boon for astronomy. The HST is a collaboration between NASA and the European Space Agency, and is one of NASA’s Great Observatories, along with the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, the Chandra X-ray Observatory, and the Spitzer Space Telescope.
During it’s period of operation, the Hubble has recorded tons of fascinating images that never stop to amaze people. You simply can’t stay untouched looking at these images. To some these images represent beautiful natures work of arts, physicist may say that they provide us with an insight in our universe, mathematicians may be impressed by forms created by specific mathematical rules, architects look at the beauty of the expression, and you might even say that this is a definite sign that god has created the universe.
No matter which group you belong to, you’ll be amazed by these out-of-this-world pictures. The images that have not been seen by bare human eye, and there may pass many more decades before that happens, if ever. Meanwhile, we have Hubble’s electronic eye to keep us entertained.
