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.
