On this last day of the month that celebrates the Hubble Space Telescope‘s 20th Anniversary, as our own little “thank you” for a mission that has so eloquently revealed the magnificent cosmos to a curious space-faring species in one little corner of the Universe – we present our favorite Hubble image and why it is our favorite.  Of course, because there are two of us, we have two favorite images.

The first is Rob’s favorite – Hubble’s 1995 “Deepest View of the Universe“:

“My favorite Hubble picture is an image I think about ALL the time.   When Tavi asked me what my favorite was, it didn’t occur to me that a permanent fixture in my imagination, is that favorite image.  This picture has changed the way I look at the nighttime sky and the way I look at us here, on this wet, rocky world.  It makes my heart pound and my intuition ring inside me like a big church bell.  To me, it is one of the most important images ever taken.

I heard the size of the FOV described as this: take a tennis ball and view it 100 meters away, that is the area of sky contained in the Hubble Deep Field image.  Sometimes at night, when it is moonless and I am staring at the target area, near Megrez in Ursa Major, I think about how that image extends everywhere around us.”

The second is Tavi’s favorite – Hubble’s 2009 “Butterfly Emerges from Stellar Demise“:

“At first glance, Hubble’s “Butterfly Emerges from Stellar Demise” reveals the stunning complexity of a dying star; but it is the date of this image that reveals an even greater saga – the stories of yesterday’s aspirations and heartaches, today’s determination, and tomorrow’s promises.

“Butterfly Emerges from Stellar Demise” was acquired on July 27, 2009 – a full six-and-a-half years after the tragedy that originally grounded NASA’s Servicing Mission 4, just two months after that mission was finally accomplished, and a mere six days after Rob and I had the distinct privilege of meeting the very astronauts who installed the camera that took this image.

I was twenty-five years old the day that the Hubble Space Telescope was let loose from the hands of mission STS-31.  I knew virtually nothing about Space and the Universe, and I’d looked through a telescope only once in my life – a borrowed dimestore version to get a closer look at “that unusual star” on my west Florida horizon.  Back then, my interests were centered on exploring the wild environment of Florida and basking in the serenity of the Gulf of Mexico.  It never even occurred to me that there might be a more fascinating world beyond this planet – much less, that it would ever be within my reach.

Then, in 2002, I happened upon Hubble’s 1999 image of the Ring Nebula, “Looking Down a Barrel of Gas at a Doomed Star.” It was just the image, with no real description – a mere glimpse into an entirely foreign world – but I was immediately intrigued.  From that moment on, I sought a way to explore this new horizon, to somehow become part of it.  I started slowly, with a pawnshop telescope, but always, I had that image in my mind and my mind on the Universe.

Today, I am immersed in all things Space, with a primary focus on encouraging others to “look up.”  I know that, like me, there are many souls who’ve never imagined the intricate splendor that is our Universe, and that it takes but a sprinkling of stardust, a gentle nudge, to open their eyes the way that Hubble opened mine.

Just as one brilliantly fading star evolves into the promise of many new stars, “Butterfly Emerges from Stellar Demise” embodies the past reaching out to inspire the future.  And it is Hubble that puts that splendid vision of rebirth into our hands.”

Through Hubble’s eyes, we are encouraged to look beyond the boundaries of this small, beautiful planet to experience the wonders of an entire Universe.  To all the people behind the Hubble Space Telescope – from those who first dreamed of it, to the NASA and ESA Teams who made it happen, to the individuals who share the images with the world – I express my humblest and deepest gratitude.

Happy 20th Anniversary, Hubble – and thank you, Team Hubble.