Ultraviolet astronomy in danger
World astronomers are becoming very concerned about their ability to carry out observations in ultraviolet light following recent announcements about the future of the Hubble Space Telescope. Hubble is most famous for the clear images it gives of distant objects from its vantage point above the Earth's atmosphere. It is less well known that its instruments are also sensitive to radiation outside the visible range that never penetrates to the Earth's surface. Observations of these wavelengths, including the ultraviolet, can only be carried out from space. While a successor for the visible and infrared capability of Hubble is already being designed - the James Webb Space Telescope, planned for