Hubble Space Telescope

Hubble overcame early optical failure and became a critical scientific instrument

The flaw in Hubble's mirror was smaller than the width of a human hair, but fixing it required a space mission as complex as a Hollywood rescue story—with astronauts installing corrective optics like contact lenses for a giant eye in the sky.

Space telescope development was driven by a desire to bypass Earth's atmosphere

The most important figure in the effort to create what would become the Hubble Space Telescope was Lyman Spitzer, who first proposed a telescope in orbit in 1946. The nearly 50-year endeavor led to space-based observatories, which are not limited by Earth's atmosphere absorbing or distorting most wavelengths of light.

View galleries of images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope

With more than 1.7 million observations made since 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope has captured images of space missions, planets, stellar nurseries, interstellar comets, star clusters, galaxies, and more. This search tool allows users to sort and filter across these celestial objects to explore over 35 years of Hubble's astrophotography.

The Hubble Space Telescope is named after astronomer Edwin Powell Hubble

Using the Hooker Telescope at the Mount Wilson Observatory in California in the 1920s, Hubble identified Cepheid variable stars in what was believed to be the Andromeda nebula. These stars can be used to determine distance in space, allowing Hubble to realize that Andromeda was a galaxy of its own.

Hubble's first light test produced an underwhelming photograph

This test represents the first time light travels entirely through an observatory's optical system and reaches its detectors, producing an image. Although the telescope's warped mirror was not discovered and announced until a month after first light, the issue was not responsible for the simplicity of the first light image.

Hubble revealed that planet-forming disks are common around young stars

One of Hubble’s early images captured 30 young star systems in the Orion region, each surrounded by material that looked like it was forming planets. These systems increased the number of data points scientists had to test planetary formation models.

Atmospheric drag is causing the Hubble Space Telescope to drift toward Earth slowly

Without interventions to boost the observatory to a higher orbit, Hubble is expected to fall to Earth's surface in the mid-2030s. In the meantime, the telescope is expected to continue to be productive by shifting its mode of operation to rely on a single gyroscope, down from three.

Watch a tour of a 3D visualization of the Pillars of Creation

Combining observational data from the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes has allowed NASA scientists to create a multiwavelength model of the star-forming region at the heart of the Eagle nebula.

Play an interactive game to explore and learn about Hubble images

Aboard the fictional USS Hubble, users can choose their own adventure to investigate the solar system, our galaxy, and the universe beyond. Each option directs users to a real image accompanied by relevant information and additional media elements, such as a time-lapse of the moon Phobos orbiting Mars.

An imperfection 1/50th the width of a human hair blurred Hubble's initial images

Not all parts of the space telescope's primary mirror focused incoming light to the same location, an effect known as spherical aberration. Because Hubble was designed to reside in low Earth orbit and be serviced by astronauts, service missions were deployed in the years after its launch to conduct repairs.