For space exploration we launch several satellite, rockets and space telescope. one such is Hubble space telescope, also we launch many space telescope observatories like Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, the Chandra X-ray Observatory, and the Spitzer Space Telescope. Hubble space telescope is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2020. Let see about its history and achievements in this article.
Hubble (HST) is a space telescope launched into low earth orbit in 1990 and still remain in operation. it is one of the largest and most versatile, well known both as a vital research tool and as a public relations boon for astronomy. it is named after the astronaut Edwin Hubble.
Hubble has 2.4 metre mirror, its four major instruments observes in visible, near infra red and ultraviolet region of elecromagnetic spectrum. Hubble orbit outside the distortion of earth atmosphere and it is able to capture high resolution images at even very low background light. it plays an important role in determination of rate of expansion of universe.
Hubble was built by us along with European space agency(ESA). it is controlled by Goddard Space Flight Center. Its successor is the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) which is scheduled to be launched in March 2021.
ENGINEERING
Once the project was started, the work was divided amoung various institution. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was given responsibility for the design, development, and construction of the telescope, while Goddard Space Flight Center was given overall control of the scientific instruments and ground-control center for the mission. MSFC commissioned the optics company Perkin-Elmer to design and build the Optical Telescope Assembly (OTA) and Fine Guidance Sensors for the space telescope. Lockheed was commissioned to construct and integrate the spacecraft in which the telescope would be housed. The mirror was washed using 9100 litres of deionized water and then received a reflective coating of 65 nm-thick aluminum and a protective coating of 25 nm-thick magnesium fluoride.
The spacecraft were the telescope and instruments were mounted was a another great engineering challenge. In space, it would have to withstrand the frequent passage of sun light and alternate darkness in shadow of earth it could cause a great variation in temperature to overcome this a multi-layer insulation keeps the temperature within the telescope stable and surrounds a light aluminum shell in which the telescope and instruments sit.
LIST OF HUBBLE'S INSTRUMENTS :
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| image source : nasa |
Hubble (HST) is a space telescope launched into low earth orbit in 1990 and still remain in operation. it is one of the largest and most versatile, well known both as a vital research tool and as a public relations boon for astronomy. it is named after the astronaut Edwin Hubble.
Hubble has 2.4 metre mirror, its four major instruments observes in visible, near infra red and ultraviolet region of elecromagnetic spectrum. Hubble orbit outside the distortion of earth atmosphere and it is able to capture high resolution images at even very low background light. it plays an important role in determination of rate of expansion of universe.
Hubble was built by us along with European space agency(ESA). it is controlled by Goddard Space Flight Center. Its successor is the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) which is scheduled to be launched in March 2021.
ENGINEERING
Once the project was started, the work was divided amoung various institution. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was given responsibility for the design, development, and construction of the telescope, while Goddard Space Flight Center was given overall control of the scientific instruments and ground-control center for the mission. MSFC commissioned the optics company Perkin-Elmer to design and build the Optical Telescope Assembly (OTA) and Fine Guidance Sensors for the space telescope. Lockheed was commissioned to construct and integrate the spacecraft in which the telescope would be housed. The mirror was washed using 9100 litres of deionized water and then received a reflective coating of 65 nm-thick aluminum and a protective coating of 25 nm-thick magnesium fluoride.
The spacecraft were the telescope and instruments were mounted was a another great engineering challenge. In space, it would have to withstrand the frequent passage of sun light and alternate darkness in shadow of earth it could cause a great variation in temperature to overcome this a multi-layer insulation keeps the temperature within the telescope stable and surrounds a light aluminum shell in which the telescope and instruments sit.
LIST OF HUBBLE'S INSTRUMENTS :
- Advanced Camera for Surveys.
- Cosmic Origins Spectrograph .
- Corrective Optics Space Telescope Axial Replacement.
- Faint Object Camera.
- Faint Object Spectrograph .
- Fine Guidance Sensor.
- Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph .
- High Speed Photometer .
- Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer.
- Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph.
- Wide Field and Planetary Camera.
- Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2.
- Wide Field Camera 3.
And several service missions are conducted till date to keep Hubble active
IMPORTANT DISCOVERIES :
AGE OF UNIVERSE
The estimated age of universe is about 13.7 billion years.
BLACK HOLES
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| image source : nasa |
The high-resolution spectra and images provided by the HST have been especially well-suited to establishing the prevalence of black holes in the center of nearby galaxies. The Hubble programs further established that the masses of the nuclear black holes and properties of the galaxies are closely related. The legacy of the Hubble programs on black holes in galaxies is thus to demonstrate a deep connection between galaxies and their central black holes.
SOLAR SYSTEM DISCOVERIES
HST has also been used to study objects in the outer reaches of the Solar System, including the dwarf planets Pluto and Eris. Hubble capture the moment of collision of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 with Jupiter in 1994 just after its first service mission. Hubble images of the planet were sharper than any taken since the passage of Voyager 2 in 1979, and were crucial in studying the dynamics of the collision of a comet with Jupiter, an event believed to occur once every few centuries.
Hubble discovered Styx, a tiny fifth moon orbiting Pluto. Using Hubble to study the motion of its aurorae around Ganymede, one of Jupiter's moons, the researchers determined that a large saltwater ocean was helping to suppress the interaction between Jupiter's magnetic field and that of Ganymede. The ocean is estimated to be 100 km (60 mi) deep, trapped beneath a 150 km (90 mi) ice crust. Hubble was used to search for a Kuiper belt object (KBO) target for the New Horizons Kuiper Belt Extended Mission (KEM) This resulted in the discovery of at least five new KBOs, including the eventual KEM target, 486958 Arrokoth, that New Horizons performed a close fly-by of on January 1, 2019.
SUPERNOVA APPEARENCE
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| image source : nasa |
Hubble captured an image of the first-ever predicted reappearance of a supernova, dubbed "Refsdal", which was calculated using different mass models of a galaxy cluster whose gravity is warping the supernova's light.
MASS AND SIZE OF MILKYWAY GALAXY
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| image source : nasa |
observations from Hubble and data from the European Space Agency's Gaia space observatory were combined to determine that the Milky Way Galaxy weighs approximately 1.5 trillion solar units and has a radius of 129,000 light years.
Thus Hubble observations and its spectra images served very purposeful throughout three decades. through its details we have reached a far distance in exploration of space and astronomy. And we are very happy to celebrate the service of Hubble for mankind.
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