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Rebirth of an icon: Hubble's first images since Servicing Mission 4
September 10, 2009Astronomers today declared the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope a fully rejuvenated observatory ready for a new decade of exploration, with the release of observations from four of its six operating science instruments.
"This is one more important step in the confirmation of this wonderful mission. We Europeans are proud to be part of this and heartily congratulate the engineers, astronauts and scientists who got us to this point," said ESA's Director of Science and Robotic Exploration, David Southwood.
Topping the list of exciting new views are colourful multi-wavelength pictures of far-flung galaxies, a densely packed star cluster, an eerie "pillar of creation" and a butterfly-shaped nebula. Hubble's suite of new instruments now allows it to study the Universe's across a wide swath of the light spectrum, from ultraviolet light all the way to near-infrared light. In addition, scientists released spectroscopic observations that slice across billions of light-years to map the structure of the cosmic web that permeates the Universe and also the distribution of the chemical elements that are fundamental to life as we know it.
"This marks a new beginning for Hubble," said Ed Weiler, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. "The telescope was given an extreme makeover and is now significantly more powerful than ever - well equipped to last well into the next decade."
The new instruments are more sensitive to light and therefore will significantly improve Hubble's observing efficiency. The space telescope is now able to complete observations in a fraction of the time that was needed with earlier generations of Hubble instruments. Therefore the space observatory today is significantly more powerful than it has ever been.
"We couldn't be more thrilled with the quality of the images from the new Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) and the repaired Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS), and the spectra from the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) and the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS). The targets we've selected to showcase Hubble's capabilities reveal the great range of capabilities in our newly upgraded Hubble," said Keith Noll, leader of the team at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, USA, that planned the early release observations.
These results are compelling evidence of the success of the STS-125 Servicing Mission in May, which has brought the premier space observatory to the peak of its scientific performance. Two new instruments, the WFC3 and COS, were installed, and two others, the ACS and STIS, were repaired at the circuit board level. Mission scientists also announced today that the Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) was brought back into operation during the three months of calibration and testing.
"On this mission we wanted to replenish the 'toolkit' of Hubble instruments that scientists around the world rely on to carry out their cutting-edge research," said David Leckrone, Senior Hubble Project Scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, USA. "Prior to Servicing Mission 4 we had only three unique instrument channels still working, and today we have a total of 13. I'm very proud to be able to say, 'mission accomplished'."
For the past three months scientists and engineers at STScI and the Goddard Space Flight Center have been focusing, testing and calibrating the instruments. Hubble is one of the most complex space telescopes ever launched, and the Hubble Servicing Mission astronauts performed major surgery on the 19-year-old observatory's multiple systems. This orbital verification phase was interrupted briefly on 19 July to observe Jupiter in the aftermath of a collision with a suspected comet.
Hubble now enters a phase of full science observations. The demand for observing time will be intense. Astronomers look forward to using the telescope to conduct a broad range of observations: from studying the population of Kuiper Belt objects at the fringe of our Solar System, to observing the birth of planets around other stars, to probing the composition and structure of extrasolar planetary atmospheres. There are ambitious plans to take the deepest-ever near-infrared portrait of the Universe to reveal never-before-seen infant galaxies that existed when the Universe was less than 500 million years old. Other planned observations will attempt to shed light on the behaviour of dark energy, a repulsive force that is pushing the Universe apart at an ever-faster rate.
http://www.spacetelescope.org/images/html/heic0910a.html
Hubble Information Centre
"This marks a new beginning for Hubble," said Ed Weiler, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. "The telescope was given an extreme makeover and is now significantly more powerful than ever - well equipped to last well into the next decade."
The new instruments are more sensitive to light and therefore will significantly improve Hubble's observing efficiency. The space telescope is now able to complete observations in a fraction of the time that was needed with earlier generations of Hubble instruments. Therefore the space observatory today is significantly more powerful than it has ever been.
"We couldn't be more thrilled with the quality of the images from the new Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) and the repaired Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS), and the spectra from the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) and the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS). The targets we've selected to showcase Hubble's capabilities reveal the great range of capabilities in our newly upgraded Hubble," said Keith Noll, leader of the team at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, USA, that planned the early release observations.
These results are compelling evidence of the success of the STS-125 Servicing Mission in May, which has brought the premier space observatory to the peak of its scientific performance. Two new instruments, the WFC3 and COS, were installed, and two others, the ACS and STIS, were repaired at the circuit board level. Mission scientists also announced today that the Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) was brought back into operation during the three months of calibration and testing.
"On this mission we wanted to replenish the 'toolkit' of Hubble instruments that scientists around the world rely on to carry out their cutting-edge research," said David Leckrone, Senior Hubble Project Scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, USA. "Prior to Servicing Mission 4 we had only three unique instrument channels still working, and today we have a total of 13. I'm very proud to be able to say, 'mission accomplished'."
For the past three months scientists and engineers at STScI and the Goddard Space Flight Center have been focusing, testing and calibrating the instruments. Hubble is one of the most complex space telescopes ever launched, and the Hubble Servicing Mission astronauts performed major surgery on the 19-year-old observatory's multiple systems. This orbital verification phase was interrupted briefly on 19 July to observe Jupiter in the aftermath of a collision with a suspected comet.
Hubble now enters a phase of full science observations. The demand for observing time will be intense. Astronomers look forward to using the telescope to conduct a broad range of observations: from studying the population of Kuiper Belt objects at the fringe of our Solar System, to observing the birth of planets around other stars, to probing the composition and structure of extrasolar planetary atmospheres. There are ambitious plans to take the deepest-ever near-infrared portrait of the Universe to reveal never-before-seen infant galaxies that existed when the Universe was less than 500 million years old. Other planned observations will attempt to shed light on the behaviour of dark energy, a repulsive force that is pushing the Universe apart at an ever-faster rate.
http://www.spacetelescope.org/images/html/heic0910a.html
Hubble Information Centre
Hubble Space Telescope Current Events and Hubble Space Telescope News RSSWhere did today's spiral galaxies come from?
Hubble shows that the beautiful spirals galaxies of the modern Universe were the ugly ducklings of six billion years ago.
Weak Lensing Gains Strength
Weak gravitational lensing is a uniquely promising way to learn how much dark matter there is in the Universe and how its distribution has evolved since the distant past.
Hubble finds most distant primeval galaxies
The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has broken the distance limit for galaxies and uncovered a primordial population of compact and ultra-blue galaxies that have never been seen before.
Astronomers detect earliest galaxies
Astronomers, using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, have broken the distance limit for galaxies by uncovering a primordial population of compact and ultra-blue galaxies that have never been seen before. They are from 13 billion years ago, just 600 to 800 million years after the Big Bang.
New panchromatic capabilities of Hubble reveal an unprecedented view of the universe
Shown in an extremely broad range of color and showcasing more than twelve billion years of cosmic history, Hubble's recent image is a full-glory cosmic renaissance of the history of the Universe.
ESA space telescope with CU-Boulder connection looks back to early galaxies
An instrument package developed in part by the University of Colorado at Boulder for the $2.2 billion orbiting Herschel Space Observatory launched in May by the European Space Agency has provided one of the most detailed views yet of space up to 12 billion years back in time.
Astronomers find super-Earth using amateur, off-the-shelf technology
Astronomers announced today that they have discovered a "super-Earth" orbiting a red dwarf star 40 light-years from Earth.
Close-up Photos of Dying Star Show Our Sun's Fate
About 550 light-years from Earth, a star like our Sun is writhing in its death throes. Chi Cygni has swollen in size to become a red giant star so large that it would swallow every planet out to Mars in our solar system.
Hubble's deepest view of Universe unveils never-before-seen galaxies
The new Wide Field Camera 3 aboard the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has taken the deepest image yet of the Universe in near-infrared light. The faintest and reddest objects in the image are likely the oldest galaxies ever identified, having formed between only 600-900 million years after the Big Bang.
Black Hole Caught Zapping Galaxy into Existence?
Which come first, the supermassive black holes that frantically devour matter or the enormous galaxies where they reside? A brand new scenario has emerged from a recent set of outstanding observations of a black hole without a home: black holes may be "building" their own host galaxy.
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Hubble: Imaging Space and Time by David Devorkin (Author), Robert Smith (Author) In the spirit of National Geographic’s top-selling Orbit, this large-format, full-color volume stands alone in revealing more than 200 of the most spectacular images from the Hubble Space Telescope during its lifetime, to the very eve of the 2008 final shuttle mission to the telescope. Written by two of the world’s foremost authorities on space history, Hubble: Imaging Space and Time illuminates the solar system’s workings, the expansion of the universe, the birth and death of stars, the formation of planetary nebulae, the dynamics of galaxies, and the mysterious force known as "dark energy." The potential impact of this book cannot be overstressed: The 2008 servicing mission to install new high-powered scientific instruments is especially high profile because the... |
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The Visible Universe: A Visual Journey Through Space and Back in Time. NASA - Hubble Space Telescope Starring: Super Nova Directed By: David DeMarcos Also With: David DeMarcos (Producer) NTSC North American Format Updated 2009 - Includes:
The Visible Universe presents a visual journey through space and back in time using the greatest optical instruments ever created in the history of man. The Hubble Space Telescope, SOHO, Trace, Spitzer, and other instruments have afforded us an insight to the farthest reaches of the Cosmos. Carl Sagan The producer hopes that this progressive music video will entertain and inspire our children to further... |
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Hubble Space Telescope Model Kit by Space Craft Internation The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Space Craft Science Kit is very realistic... so much so that it is hard to tell from a distance that it's made of paper. Many of its parts have bonded metal foil, and look like they're made of metal. Blue and gold-foil solar panels. Internal details include reflective primary and secondary mirrors, printed trusses and baffles. Includes information on how to modify the completed laser-cut, paper card stock model to illustrate installing new instruments as astronauts did first in December, 1993, and again on later upgrade missions. Assembled model is about 10 inches (26 cm) overall. Scale is approximately 1/65. |
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The Visible Universe: A Visual Journey Through Space and Back in Time. NASA - Hubble Space Telescope Directed By: David Alexander DeMarcos Also With: Waterline Productions (Producer) |
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Space Views from the Hubble Telescope 2010 Wall Calendar by Calendars |
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Space Views From the Hubble Telescope 2010 Wall Calendar Publisher: Pomegranate |
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Deep Space: Featuring Hubble Space Telescope Images (Interactive PC/Mac CD-ROM) by Finley-Holiday Film Corp. Explore the deepest reaches of the universe with this incredible interactive CD. Filled with hundreds of awesome images and amazing facts, this multimedia program lets you explore the last frontier with the very best images from the Hubble Space Telescope. High Resolution, High Quality Color Images: This CD features a complete collection of Hubble images from the Space Telescope Science Institute's, plus 32 superb earth-based astronomical photographs. As an added bonus get the complete story of the Space Telescope's spectacular servicing missions and 16 exciting planet views. |
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