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Hubble Space Telescope

Adapted from Wikipedia · Explorer experience

The Hubble Space Telescope floating in space as seen from the Space Shuttle Discovery.

The Hubble Space Telescope is a special telescope that flies in space. It was sent up in 1990 and is still working today. It is named after the astronomer Edwin Hubble and is one of NASA’s great science tools.

Hubble orbits above Earth’s air, so it can see stars and planets very clearly. It has a big mirror, about as tall as a grown-up, and can see light that we cannot see with our eyes. This helps scientists learn amazing things about space.

Hubble has helped us discover many secrets. It showed us how fast the universe is growing and took beautiful pictures of faraway galaxies. People all over the world love the wonderful images Hubble sends back to Earth.

Scientists visit Hubble to fix it and make it better. Astronauts have gone up five times to change parts and add new tools. These visits help Hubble stay strong and keep exploring the universe for us.

Hubble works with other space telescopes, like the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the James Webb Space Telescope. Together, they help us see the universe in new ways. Hubble’s pictures and discoveries inspire us to learn more about the stars, planets, and everything around us.

Images

Portrait of Dr. Lyman Spitzer, an American astronomer who helped pioneer the idea of space-based telescopes.
Dr. Nancy Grace Roman, NASA's first Chief of Astronomy, stands with a model of the Hubble Space Telescope in 1966.
Portrait of astronomer Edwin Hubble, taken in 1931.
Scientists carefully polish the mirror of the Hubble Space Telescope to make it reflect light better for studying stars and planets.
A backup mirror from the Hubble Space Telescope, showing how scientists prepare components for space exploration.
Early construction of the Hubble Space Telescope, showing the instruments and machinery used to build this important scientific tool.
An image of the DF-224 computer inside the Hubble Space Telescope, captured during a servicing mission in 1993.
NASA controllers monitoring the Hubble Space Telescope during its repair mission in 1999.
Diagram showing how the Hubble Space Telescope orbits Earth from space.
The Space Shuttle Discovery lifts off from Kennedy Space Center, carrying the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit.
A view of the Hubble Space Telescope being released into orbit from the space shuttle during the STS-31 mission.
Animation showing the path of the Hubble Space Telescope as it orbits Earth from October to December 2018.
A star photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope, showing how its special optics create unique light patterns around bright objects.

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Hubble Space Telescope, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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