Prelims - Current events of national and international importance
Mains (GS-III) - Awareness in the fields of IT, Space.
Why in news?
The Hubble telescope recently completed 35 Years of Cosmic Exploration.
- Hubble telescope is the first dedicated space based telescope system that is named after astronomer Edwin Hubble.
- Launched on – April 24, 1990.
The US astronomer Lyman Spitzer first proposed the idea of the Large Space Telescope in the 1940s.
- Joint mission – Between NASA and European Space Agency (ESA).
- ESA contributed 15% of the cost in exchange for 15% of observation time.
- Launch was originally planned in 1986 but it delayed to 1990 due to technical difficulties and the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.
- Aim - To observe and study the universe, particularly in visible, ultraviolet, and infrared wavelengths, from a vantage point above Earth's atmosphere.
- Orbital location - Hubble orbits Earth at an altitude of about 569 km (Low Earth Orbit).
- Observational range – This device can analyse frequencies of light from the ultraviolet to the infrared.
- Renewable telescope – One of the pioneering aspects of the Hubble Space Telescope is the fact that it was designed to be serviced in space.
Scientific Achievements
- It has observed approximately 52,000 stellar objects through 1.6 million observations.
It helped to determine the universe's age (13.8 billion years) by identifying over 800 Cepheid variable stars in 24 galaxies.
- It contributed to creating a 3D map of dark matter.
- Confirmed the existence of supermassive black holes at the centers of numerous galaxies.
- It discovered two additional moons of Pluto (Nix and Hydra).
- It is the first telescope to study the atmosphere of an exoplanet (HD 209458-b/Osiris).
- It observed seasonal changes on Pluto's surface.
- It helped to estimate the mass of Eris, the solar system's heaviest dwarf planet.
Current Status
- Originally expected to operate for 15 years, but has been functioning for 35 years.
- Transmits approximately 150 GB of data weekly.
Reference
The Hindu| Hubble’s 35-year journey
