Hubble Space Telescope

According to a newsletter sent out by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the purpose of the Hubble Space Telescope was, and is, to gather light from cosmic objects so scientists can better understand the universe around us. Up until the deployment of the Hubble Space Telescope, all telescopes were Earth based and had the disadvantage of having to peer at the stars through the Earth’s atmosphere. The Earth’s atmosphere provides a large amount of distortion when viewing very far objects, like space, through a telescope. Placing a telescope in space eliminates the distortion and provides images that are significantly clearer and in turn, easier to examine. The Hubble Space Telescopes six different science instruments include cameras, fine guidance sensors, and spectrographs. All these instruments work together to create the highest quality image of the farthest areas of space. The first important instrument is the Wide Field Camera 3, which can be used to study objects everywhere from very far in the universe to our solar system’s own backyard. It also helps examine the way galaxies evolve over time, the history of individual galaxies, and the mystery of “dark matter.” The second important instrument is the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph, which breaks ultraviolet radiation into components that can be studied in detail. It is also used to examine galaxy evolution, the formation of planets, and the rise of the elements needed for life, as well as the “cosmic web” of gas between galaxies. The third important instrument is the Advanced Camera for Surveys, which is a combination of three cameras at high-resolution, wide-field camera, and solar blind camera. What these cameras do is conduct surveys of the universe and...

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