Kevin Hartnett - Hubble: An Overview of the Space Telescope

Hubble

s observations have made new and significant scientific contributions to virtually every area of astronomy. Its detailed

imagery of the Cats Eye Nebula (NGC 6543), for example, revealed more intricate structures than ever imagined. This complex
planetary nebula is suspected to surround a binary star that created its multiple gas shells, shockwaves, and stellar jets.

Introduction

The history of science has been driven by landmark discoveries made with revolutionary instruments. The field of
microbiology, for example, was inaugurated by the discovery of cellular life through the invention of the microscope. The
spectroscope revealed to us that light-emitting objects broadcast not just their colors, but information about the atomic
processes that produced them. Through this, we learned the chemical makeup of stars. Likewise, particle accelerators
exposed the astonishing complexity that exists on the quantum-physics scale.
The telescope holds an honorable position among these civilization-changing inventions. In 1609, the visionary scientist
Galileo Galilei turned this newly invented device of his day to view the heavens. His observations showed conclusively that
there were astronomical bodies that did not revolve around Earth, thus validating a radical, new model of the solar system
and our place in it.

Four hundred years later, a telescope equipped with digital detectors and placed above the clouds continues to advance the
legacy of Galileos first influential spyglass. The

Hubble Space Telescope

, launched in 1990, orbits well above the optically

degrading effects of Earths atmosphere. Astronomers have used it to gain transformational, new views of many celestial
objectsfrom tiny, nearby asteroids to immense and distant galaxies. In fact,

Hubble

observations played a leading role in

discovering and characterizing the mysterious dark energy that now appears to pervade the cosmos.

The name

Hubble

has become synonymous with fruitful scientific exploration. The missions success resonates strongly with

the public as an archetype of human inquisitiveness and engineering ingenuity. It is a source of national pride and a model for
international collaboration. The intellectual stimulus and sheer beauty of the telescopes findings have engaged the public and
permeated its culture.

Hubble

s scientific contributions are integrated yearly into the classroom curricula of millions of students

and appear in textbooks, museums, and media sites worldwide.

Hubble

imagery has also demonstrably influenced art, dance,

music, cinema, and fashion.

This book provides an overview of the historic space telescope with sections that briefly describe its history, design, and
operation as well as some of its significant discoveries, technological contributions, and impacts on culture.

The Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) is classified as a grand design spiral, with well-defined arms that sweep around most of the system. Along
the arms are pink star-forming regions where bright blue clusters of new stars ionize the gas surrounding them, causing them to glow. The
yellowish core of this galaxy is home to older stars, as is NGC 5195, the small companion galaxy to the right and slightly behind M51. The
Whirlpool Galaxy is found near the Big Dipper in the lesser-known constellation Canes Venatici, the Hunting Dogs. It is estimated to be 23
million light-years away.

History