Hubble Space Telescope
The Hubble Space Telescope is a space telescope that was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990 and remains in operation. Hubble features a 2. 4-meter mirror, and its four main instruments observe in the ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Its orbit outside the distortion of Earth’s atmosphere allows it to capture extremely high-resolution images with substantially lower background light than ground-based telescopes. Many Hubble observations have led to breakthroughs in astrophysics, such as determining the rate of expansion of the universe.
About Hubble Space Telescope in brief
The Hubble Space Telescope is a space telescope that was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990 and remains in operation. Hubble features a 2. 4-meter mirror, and its four main instruments observe in the ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Hubble’s orbit outside the distortion of Earth’s atmosphere allows it to capture extremely high-resolution images with substantially lower background light than ground-based telescopes. It has recorded some of the most detailed visible light images, allowing a deep view into space. Many Hubble observations have led to breakthroughs in astrophysics, such as determining the rate of expansion of the universe. The telescope was still operating as of April 24, 2020, its 30th anniversary, and could last until 2030–2040. One successor to the Hubble telescope is the James Webb Space Telescope which is scheduled to be launched in late 2021. The Hubble telescope was built by the United States space agency NASA with contributions from the European Space Agency. It was funded in the 1970s with a proposed launch in 1983, but the project was beset by technical delays, budget problems, and the 1986 Challenger disaster. In 1962, a report by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences recommended development of a space Telescope as part of the space program. In 1965, astronomer Lyman Spitzer was appointed as head of a committee given the task of defining scientific objectives for a large space telescope. In 1968, NASA developed plans for a space-based reflecting telescope with a mirror 3m in diameter.
The OSO and OAO missions demonstrated the important role space- based telescopes could play in astronomy. The first ultraviolet spectrum of the Sun was obtained in 1946. An orbiting solar observatory was launched in 1962 by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to obtain UV, gamma-ray, and Gamma-ray spectra. In 1966, NASA launched the first orbiting solar telescope in the Ariel space program, which launched in 1966. The Orbiting Astronomy Observatory launched in 1968, followed by the O-O-2 mission in 1972, which carried out ultraviolet observations of stars and galaxies from its launch in 1968 until 1972, well well beyond its original planned lifetime of one year. The OO-O2 mission was canceled after three days, terminating the mission after its battery failed. In 1969, NASA announced plans for the Large Space Telescope with a 3m mirror, which was slated to launch in 1970. In 1973, the first Large Space Large Telescope was slated for launch with a planned launch date of 1970, but it was canceled due to budget problems. In 1978, NASA decided to launch the X-ray observatory, which is now known as the Chandra X-rays Observatory. In 1982, the Chandra observatory launched, and in 1984, the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory was launched. In 1986, the Spitzer Space Telescope was launched, along with the OA-A mission. In 1989, the Hubble Space telescope was launched by the Space Shuttle Discovery.
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This page is based on the article Hubble Space Telescope published in Wikipedia (as of Dec. 06, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
