Twenty years ago, this month, the first of four Great Observatories launched into space aboard NASA’s space shuttle Discovery. Deployed 360-miles above the Earth by the crew of mission STS-31, the Hubble Space Telescope embarked on a journey that has taken us to places barely imagined and never before seen.
Through Hubble’s eyes, we’ve experienced the Universe in all its extremes – breathtakingly beautiful, extraordinarily complex, and exceedingly vast. We’ve peered into stellar nurseries, looked at dying stars, and observed the remnants of long-past supernovae. We’ve witnessed a disintegrating comet, discovered distant moons, and even journeyed back in time. Through Hubble’s accomplishments, we’ve investigated mysteries, confirmed theories, and even raised new questions, about our Universe. The Hubble Space Telescope has expanded our horizons, to put the Universe in our hands, like no other exploration, no other mission, and no other technology have ever done.
NASA EPO Specialist, Andrew Wolt, encourages us all to celebrate the wonders of Hubble on this 20th Anniversary and to share our events for a chance to win some fun Hubble swag! Whether you’re hosting an astronomy club presentation, arranging an IMAX: Hubble 3D viewing party, video-casting Hubble’s finest targets through remote observing, or sharing Hubble’s discoveries in an educational environment, take a few minutes to note your event with a few details and pictures. Your posts will encourage others to participate and may even introduce some people to Hubble’s spectacular successes Space Telescope for the very first time. And who knows – you might even win a little bit of Hubble goodness!
Browse the Hubble Image Gallery
Explore Hubble’s online, interactive exhibit
Learn about Hubble’s five servicing missions
Read about the visionaries behind the Hubble Space Telescope
Track Hubble’s orbit
Classify Hubble galaxies
Follow Hubble news and updates on Twitter
Follow Andrew Wolt (aka @SpaceManAndy) on Twitter
Meet the next generation space telescope, the NASA/ESA/CSA James Web Space Telescope
