25 Spectacular Space Photos to Celebrate 25 Years of the Hubble Space Telescope
On Friday, NASA's Hubble space telescope will turn 25 years old. To honor the event, the space agency released this unbelievable photo:
The image shows a cluster of roughly 3,000 stars called Westerlund 2. The dazzling array is located in the Carina constellation, and, like most of NASA's most unforgettable images, it's not too likely anyone looking at now it will ever get to visit. Though the image is inviting, the cluster it shows is approximately 20,000 light-years away from Earth.
Hubble was launched into space in 1990, and since then its breathtaking photos have helped transform our understanding of the universe. Thanks to Hubble, scientists were able to calculate the age of the universe, at roughly 13 to 14 billions years and learn more about astronomical phenomena like quasars and dark energy.
Earth-bound telescopes, hobbled by the atmosphere, cannot capture the universe in all its psychedelic splendor. By allowing humans to look at space from space, Hubble has brought the majesty of the universe into sharper focus than ever before.
So, without further ado, here are 25 of Hubble's greatest hits from 25 years of memorable service.
1. The Cat's Eye Nebula — September 2004
2. Messier 66, Largest of the Leo Triplet Galaxies — April 2010
3. The Crab Nebula — December 2005
4. Butterfly Nebula — August 2009
5. Carina Nebula — February 2010
6. IRAS 20324+4057, the "Cosmic Caterpillar" — August 2013
7. Eagle Nebula — January 2015
8. Supernova Remnant Bubble — October 2006
9. Overlapping Galaxies 2MASX J00482185-2507365 — September 2006
10. Lenticular Galaxy NGC 5866 — June 2006
11. Retina Nebula — June 2001
12. Hoag's Object Galaxy — September 2002
13. Ant Nebula — July 1997
14. Sombrero Galaxy — May-June 2003
15. The "Black Eye" Galaxy — February 2004
16. Mars — June 2003
17. Supernova Remnant LMC N 49 — July 2003
18. Supernova Remnant Cassiopeia A — January 2002
19. Ring Galaxy AM 0644-741 — January 2004
20. Galaxy M82 — March 2006
21. Orion Nebula — 2004-2005
22. Eskimo Nebula — January 2000
23. Star Camelopardalis near the end of its life — July 2012
24. Jupiter — 2014
25. Horsehead Nebula — April 2013
