The Hubble Telescope started unveiling the secrets of the universe 20 years back and today they seem nearly routine. Recent Hubble discoveries include an ancient galaxy 13 billion light years away and observation of an asteroid impact and its aftermath. The Hubble Telescope’s run of discovery will end in 2014 when it’s replace by the James Webb Space Telescope, a larger, much more advanced instrument that will make Hubble’s amazing achievements seem quaint. Post resource – Hubble Telescope astronomers travel back 13 billion years in time by Personal Money Store.
Hubble takes image of most ancient universe
The most ancient object within the universe had been announced to are seen by Hubble Telescope astronomers. Based on the New York Times, a galaxy gave off light that took 13.1 billion years to get to Earth. It had been then detected on an image this year from the Hubble. The universe was young then. Only 600 million years old had been how old. Astronomers theorize the object is among the first stars and galaxies ever born and no longer exists in the form observed by Hubble.
Asteroid crash revealed with Hubble
The Hubble also made history last week. It took asteroid collision photos, the first ever taken. The Christian Science Monitor accounts the images offer clues about what to expect when asteroids slam together. If an asteroid ever threatens Earth, scientists may be able to devise plans on what to do. A speed of 11,200 mph is what astronomers estimate the speed of the collision to be. They also suspect the rocks were between 10 and 16 feet wide. A small nuclear blast could be compared to the blast. The larger rock took out the smaller rock turning it into vapor. It then went behind the larger rock as a kind of tail.
Do not forget about the Webb Space Telescope
The James Webb Space Telescope is the Hubble Telescope successor. It could be sent 940,000 miles from the earth, which is four times farther than the moon is, to a stable place. Some places in space have the Sun and Earth intersecting. These points are called Lagrange points. This point could be where the James Webb Space Telescope orbits. From this fixed position, operating at a temperature of absolute zero, its two-story tall mirror will be able to observe the birth of the universe and open a new era of space exploration.
Information from
New York Times
nytimes.com/aponline/2010/10/20/science/space/AP-US-SCI-Oldest-Galaxy.html?_r=4 and partner=rss and emc=rss
Christian Science Monitor
csmonitor.com/Science/2010/1014/Asteroid-collision-possibly-spotted-by-Hubble-telescope
Hubblesite
hubblesite.org
Karlonia
karlonia.com/2010/10/20/deep-space-telescopes/