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Cliff's Cosmos -
Move on to
Cliff's Cosmos 2
I have always been fascinated
with astronomy and the mysteries of our universe. But even if not so
inclined, you are sure to appreciate these stunning images taken by the
Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Even
HST's team of
 astronomers couldn't imagine the spectacular discoveries
that HST has given us, including the birth of stars billions of years
ago.
Since its launch in 1990, Hubble has taken over 600,000 images of
30,000+ celestial
objects in the universe. Yet, astoundingly, this is
less than 1% of the observable sky!
Special Section -
What is a Light Year? What is the Milky Way?
Throughout Cliff's Cosmos are references to light
years, which is how distances in space are measured. For a better grasp
of how far a light year is,
click here. You will also see NASA's
beautiful composite
 photo of the Milky Way and learn more about our own
galaxy.
Hubble's Successor -
In 2013, HST will be replaced by the
James Webb Space Telescope, with a
mirror size of 21
feet compared to HST's 2.5 feet. While HST orbits 366
miles above the earth, JWST will be placed at
Lagrange L2 elliptical orbit around the Sun,
roughly 1.5
million miles from the Earth.
Worldwide Telescope -
You don't need a backyard telescope to view our universe. Just download
Microsoft's fantastic
Worldwide Telescope. At the bottom of
the page, read about WWT and take a tour. NOTE: Before downloading,
click on the system requirements link under the download button to
verify that your PC can run the software.
Links of Interest:
Hubble Top 100 Images
Hubble Europe
Hubble Gallery
Hubble
News
Hubble Deep Field
NASA
NASA Images
NASA JPL
NASA Space Shuttle
Eagle Nebula
Mars
Rover |
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In 1990, the
Hubble Space Telescope was launched from
the
Space Shuttle into orbit 366
miles above the Earth. HST is 44 feet long, the size of a school bus, and
weighs 12 tons.
The photo on the right of the Hubble Space Telescope was taken from a
Shuttle in orbit.
Left:
In May 2009, a photographer using a special solar filter, captured the tiny
silhouette of the
space shuttle Atlantis crossing in front of the sun a day before it
latched on to repair the HST.
Right: This shot captured
the shuttle and the International Space Station
in orbit over Earth. |
