Universe Today » Hubble

"X" Marks Puzzling Galactic Bulge

Nancy Atkinson — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:48:20 +0000

Looking at a galaxy edge-on provides astronomers the opportunity to study different aspects of galaxies than a face-on view offers. This Hubble image of NGC 4710 is part of a survey conducted to provide more information about the puzzling bulges that form around the middle of some galaxies. Have these galaxies been "eating" too much, or is it just part of a "middle-age spread" similar to what humans experience? Astronomers aren't sure why bulges evolve and become a substantial component of most spiral galaxies.
(...)
Read the rest of "X" Marks Puzzling Galactic Bulge (432 words)

© nancy for Universe Today, 2009. | Permalink | 39 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: galaxies, Hubble Space Telescope

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

The 'Camera That Saved Hubble' Goes to Smithsonian Museum

Nancy Atkinson — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:18:41 +0000

The Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2, along with the "contact lens" that corrected the defect in the Hubble Space Telescope's primary mirror will have a new home. Recently returned to Earth after more than 15 years in space, the two instruments will have a new home in the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington. Astronauts on the Hubble servicing mission in May 2009 replaced WFPC-2 with a new and improved version, bringing the well-used camera back to Earth. "This was the camera that saved Hubble," said Ed Weiler, from NASA's Science Mission Directorate. "I have looked forward for a long time to stand in front of this very instrument while on display to the public."
(...)
Read the rest of The 'Camera That Saved Hubble' Goes to Smithsonian Museum (314 words)

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Great Observatories Combine for Stunning Look at Milky Way

Nancy Atkinson — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:33:58 +0000

All we can say is, "Wow!" In celebration of the International Year of Astronomy 2009, NASA's Great Observatories — the Hubble Space Telescope, the Spitzer Space Telescope, and the Chandra X-ray Observatory — have collaborated to produce an unprecedented image of the central region of our Milky Way galaxy. This is a never-before-seen view of the turbulent heart of our home galaxy. The image is being unveiled by NASA to commemorate the anniversary of when Galileo first turned his telescope to the heavens in 1609. NASA provided this image and the individual images taken by each of the Great Observatories to more than 150 planetariums, museums, nature centers, libraries, and schools across the country.
(...)
Read the rest of Great Observatories Combine for Stunning Look at Milky Way (86 words)

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Hubble Unveils Stunning Star Birth in M83

Nancy Atkinson — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:10:39 +0000

It appears Hubble's new Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) is working. And how! The new camera installed during Servicing Mission 4 in May has delivered the most detailed view of star birth in the graceful, curving arms of the nearby spiral galaxy M83. Nicknamed the Southern Pinwheel, M83 is undergoing more rapid star formation than our own Milky Way galaxy, especially in its nucleus. The sharp "eye" of WFC3 has captured hundreds of young star clusters, ancient swarms of globular star clusters, and hundreds of thousands of individual stars, mostly blue supergiants and red supergiants.
(...)
Read the rest of Hubble Unveils Stunning Star Birth in M83 (131 words)

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Telescopes Open Up the Jewel Box

Nancy Atkinson — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:11:39 +0000

A Snapshot of the Jewel Box cluster with the ESO VLT

Nothing in my jewelry box compares to the Kappa Crucis Cluster, also known as NGC 4755 or simply the “Jewel Box.” This object is just bright enough to be seen with the unaided eye, but a combination of images taken by three exceptional telescopes, the Very Large Telescope, the 2.2-meter telescope at the La Silla observatory and the Hubble Space Telescope, has allowed the stunning Jewel Box star cluster to be seen in a whole new light. Above is the image from ESO' Very Large Telescope, which zooms in for a close look at the cluster itself. This new image is one of the best ever taken of this cluster from the ground, taken with an exposure time of just 5 seconds.
(...)
Read the rest of Telescopes Open Up the Jewel Box (315 words)

© nancy for Universe Today, 2009. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Star Cluster, Very Large Telescope

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

New Hubble Release: Dramatic Galaxy Collision

Nancy Atkinson — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:14:14 +0000

At first glance, this latest image release from Hubble appears to be one really bizarre-looking galaxy. But actually, this is a pair of spiral galaxies that resemble our own Milky Way smashing together at breakneck speeds. The centers have already merged into one nucleus, and the two tidal tails stretching out from the center are sparkling with active star formation, prompted by the exchange of mass and gases from the dramatic collision. This object, NGC 2623, or Arp 243, is about 250 million light-years away in the constellation of Cancer (the Crab), and is in the late stages of the merging process.
(...)
Read the rest of New Hubble Release: Dramatic Galaxy Collision (334 words)

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Hubble's Amazing Rescue on NOVA

Nancy Atkinson — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 20:42:59 +0000

In a world where you have just one chance to save a dying explorer, the only hope is a space shuttle mission …(said in my deepest, most dramatic voice….) Enjoy this movie-like trailer for the upcoming NOVA special on PBS stations in the US, "Hubble's Amazing Rescue." It looks like a great show, providing the chance to re-live the exciting 12-day Hubble Servicing Mission 4 and its five pressure-filled spacewalks. Hubble's Amazing Rescue premieres Tuesday, October 16th at 8PM ET/PT on PBS. Find out more about the show and check local listings for your area here.

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Hubble Sees Galaxies Stripped by Ram Pressure

Nancy Atkinson — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:05:17 +0000

Strange forces of nature are stripping away gas from galaxies in the Virgo cluster. An extremely hot X-ray emitting gas known as the intra-cluster medium permeates the regions between galaxies inside clusters and, as fast moving galaxies whip through this medium, strong winds tear through galaxies distorting their shape and even halting star formation with a process known as "ram pressure stripping." Hubble spied two galaxies "losing it" to these forces.
(...)
Read the rest of Hubble Sees Galaxies Stripped by Ram Pressure (359 words)

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Just How Good is the "New" Hubble? Let's Compare

Nancy Atkinson — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 17:26:23 +0000

Hubble images of the Omega Centauri starfield from 2002, left, and from 2009, right.

"This marks a new beginning for Hubble," said Ed Weiler, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate at today's press briefing at NASA Headquarters to showcase the images from Hubble following Servicing Mission 4. "The telescope was given an extreme makeover and is now significantly more powerful than ever — well equipped to last well into the next decade."

But how much more powerful is Hubble? Are there any discernible differences between the old images from Hubble and the new ones released today? You better believe it. Above is the star field of Omega Centauri before (2002) and after (2009).

See more comparisons below.
(...)
Read the rest of Just How Good is the "New" Hubble? Let's Compare (118 words)

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Hubble Wows With New Images

Nancy Atkinson — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 15:14:13 +0000

Butterfly emerges from new Hubble images. Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble SM4 ERO Team

Hubble is back! The wait is over and here are the new pictures from the newly refurbished Hubble Space Telescope. Above is an image taken by the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3), a new camera aboard NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, installed by NASA astronauts in May 2009, during the servicing mission to upgrade and repair the 19-year-old Hubble telescope. This is a planetary nebula, catalogued as NGC 6302, but more popularly called the Bug Nebula or the Butterfly Nebula.

NGC 6302 lies within our Milky Way galaxy, roughly 3,800 light-years away in the constellation Scorpius. The glowing gas is the star’s outer layers, expelled over about 2,200 years. The "butterfly" stretches for more than two light-years, which is about half the distance from the Sun to the nearest star, Alpha Centauri.

And there's more!
(...)
Read the rest of Hubble Wows With New Images (784 words)

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Countdown to Brand New Hubble Images

Nancy Atkinson — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 23:07:26 +0000

It's a countdown of cosmic proportions! In just six days, NASA will release the first images from the newly refurbished Hubble Space Telescope. These Early Release Observations (EROs) will be showcased at news briefings from NASA Headquarters at 15:00 GMT and 16:00 GMT (11 a.m. and noon EDT) Wednesday, Sept. 9 on NASA TV. The past few weeks, the Hubble team has concentrated on making high-priority science observations and finishing up instrument calibrations. Any clues as to what the first new images will include? Hubble scientists say the new images will be the first true display of the power of Hubble's new technology, dazzling amateur and professional astronomers with a wealth of new information and areas for research. Here's what the Hubble team has been working the past few weeks:
(...)
Read the rest of Countdown to Brand New Hubble Images (290 words)

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Hubble Ultra Deep Field in 3-D

Nancy Atkinson — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 11:56:42 +0000

Here's a new way to appreciate the Hubble Ultra Deep Field image, by flying through the 10,000 galaxies in this deepest of all Hubble images. Watch the whole video if you need the background on the Hubble Deep Field and subsequent Ultra Deep Field. Start at about 3:00 if you just want to see the distances between the galaxies in this image. Nice.

Via Gizmodo

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Hubble Powers Up to Capture Jupiter Impact Site

Nancy Atkinson — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 20:16:28 +0000

The Hubble Space Telescope was undergoing a thorough checkout of all its systems following the recent servicing mission, but scientists decided to drop everything and interrupt the observatory's checkout and calibration to take an image of what every other telescope has by trying to view: the impact site on Jupiter. But Hubble does it better than anyone. This image, taken just yesterday (July 23) shows the black spot on the giant planet — created a small comet or asteroid — is expanding.

"Because we believe this magnitude of impact is rare, we are very fortunate to see it with Hubble," said Amy Simon-Miller of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "Details seen in the Hubble view shows a lumpiness to the debris plume caused by turbulence in Jupiter's atmosphere."

The new Hubble images also confirm that the May servicing visit by space shuttle astronauts was a big success.
(...)
Read the rest of Hubble Powers Up to Capture Jupiter Impact Site (282 words)

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

5 Spinoffs from the Hubble Space Telescope

Nancy Atkinson — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 21:14:50 +0000

As we wait (impatiently) for the Hubble Space Telescope to return to action following its repair and updating by the STS-125 astronauts, it is easy to think about how Hubble has impacted society. Hubble has become a household name, bringing astronomy to the masses with its dramatic images of the cosmos. It has also changed our understanding of the universe. But there's more ways that HST has impacted the world. Various technologies developed for the famous orbiting telescope have helped create or improve several different medical and and scientific tools. Here are five technology spinoffs from Hubble:
(...)
Read the rest of 5 Spinoffs from the Hubble Space Telescope (493 words)

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

More Stunning Images From the Hubble Servicing Mission

Nancy Atkinson — Fri, 22 May 2009 18:35:43 +0000

In our last installment of images from the STS-125 mission, we left off with third EVA of the mission. Since then, as I'm sure you know, the astronauts have completed two more EVAs, released Hubble and are waiting for the weather to improve in Florida so they can land. So, let's get caught up with the latest images released by NASA. I love the image above, as it has everything in it about the mission: two spacewalking astronauts from EVA #4 (Mike Massimino and Mike Good), the shuttle Atlantis, Hubble, and a beautiful view of Earth.
(...)
Read the rest of More Stunning Images From the Hubble Servicing Mission (598 words)

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

A Brotherhood of Hubble Warriors: Jeff Hoffman Reflects on HST Repair Missions

Nancy Atkinson — Thu, 21 May 2009 11:40:26 +0000

Hoffman, on the robotic arm, works with Story Musgrave on an EVA on STS-61. Credit: NASA

Not surprisingly, former astronaut Jeff Hoffman has been watching the current Hubble servicing mission with interest. After all, he was a member of the first repair crew that visited the telescope in December 1993, part of the team which essentially rescued the Hubble program from what could have been a disaster. But, now Hoffman is impressed with this current crew and what they've accomplished, saying they are part of a "brotherhood of Hubble warriors."

And Hoffman is feeling a little nostalgic, too.
(...)
Read the rest of A Brotherhood of Hubble Warriors: Jeff Hoffman Reflects on HST Repair Missions (828 words)

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

SRB Videos, A Toast to Recycled Urine and Other Misc. Spaceflight Notes

Nancy Atkinson — Wed, 20 May 2009 21:50:40 +0000

It has been a busy day in space and here are a few jottings about what all has been going on. Above, you can watch the spectacular videos taken by cameras mounted on the shuttle's solid rocket boosters, taken during the launch of Atlantis on the current Hubble Servicing Mission. It's a crazy ride, tagging along on the outside of the shuttle going up, and spinning dizzily on the way down until splashing in the ocean. Not for the faint of heart! But seeing the SRB videos means only one thing: Atlantis and the STS-125 crew have been cleared to land. NASA has carefully reviewed the videos and the data from the crew's scan of the shuttle's thermal protection system, saying there are absolutely no issues that would preclude the shuttle from landing. Weather, however could be another matter, which is why NASA ordered the shuttle to power down for awhile today to save on consumables. Predicted weather does not look good for landing on Friday, so the crew will make sure they have enough power to stay in orbit for a few more days.

Now about that toast…
(...)
Read the rest of SRB Videos, A Toast to Recycled Urine and Other Misc. Spaceflight Notes (517 words)

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Astronauts Release Hubble — Watch the Video

Nancy Atkinson — Wed, 20 May 2009 02:03:36 +0000

After five spacewalks on consecutive days to bring new life to the Hubble Space Telescope, astronauts on space shuttle Atlantis said goodbye to the venerable observatory, releasing it back to its orbital home. Watching it float out of the cargo bay was a bittersweet moment for everyone involved with the mission, and space enthusiasts, too, as even though Hubble is in great shape and now set to look out farther than ever before, this is that last time humans will visit, touch and care for the world's most famous telescope. "It’s a sad moment but a great moment, because we put the Hubble in the best posture and and best performance in can be in," said Jon Morse, NASA Astrophysics division director.
(...)
Read the rest of Astronauts Release Hubble — Watch the Video (137 words)

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

'Tremendous Adventure' Gives Hubble New Life

Nancy Atkinson — Tue, 19 May 2009 05:38:09 +0000

ohn Grunsfeld works on Hubble during the 5th spacewalk of the STS-125 mission. Credit: NASA

Almost like Benjamin Button, the Hubble Space Telescope is now more vigorous and capable than with its original complement of instruments. "This is a tremendous adventure we've been on," said astronaut John Grunsfeld at the end of Monday's very successful EVA to repair and refurbish the famous space telescope. "This has been a very challenging mission. Hubble isn't just a satellite, but it's about humanity's quest for knowledge."
(...)
Read the rest of 'Tremendous Adventure' Gives Hubble New Life (540 words)

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Super-Tools Essential to Hubble Mission Success

Nancy Atkinson — Mon, 18 May 2009 19:23:37 +0000

Astronaut Mike Good and his specialized tool kit for the Hubble mission. Credit: NASA

Astronauts from the STS-125 mission have now successfully completed all the EVAs for the Hubble Servicing Mission, accomplishing all the mission goals. Undoubtedly, the special tools the astronauts were essential to the success of the mission. In fact, at the end of today's fifth spacewalk, astronaut John Grunsfeld called the mission "a tour de force of tools and human ingenuity." To have any chance of completing the wide variety of tasks for this mission, NASA had to develop more than 100 new tools for removing, installing and repairing components on Hubble. "The biggest challenge for us in designing and developing tools for astronauts is to make it easy for them to use in their suit," said Jill McGuire, manger of the CATs team (Crew Aids and Tools) for the HST mission. "EVA time is at a premium. So, any tool that we develop we develop it in order to optimize the time we have up there and make it as easy and simple for the astronauts to use." The team built a variety of tools, from power tools to different hand tools that the astronauts used. Here's a look at some of these super-tools:
(...)
Read the rest of Super-Tools Essential to Hubble Mission Success (842 words)

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Poetry in Space: Final Pilgrims to the Hubble Space Telescope

Nancy Atkinson — Mon, 18 May 2009 12:46:04 +0000

As today's final spacewalk of the Hubble Servicing Mission begins, it seems very fitting to share a poem written by my friend Stuart Atkinson. Stuart is a poet, a blogger, a member of Unmanned Spaceflight.com (which means he is a Photoshopper extraordinaire!) and a passionate promoter of space exploration. Stuart has written many touching poems previously about the Mars rovers, the Phoenix lander, the Kepler mission and many other missions, but this verse about the final human mission to the Hubble Space Telescope is priceless. See below for "The Final Pilgrims" and check out Stu's website Cumbrian Skies for more great poetry, images and information.
(...)
Read the rest of Poetry in Space: Final Pilgrims to the Hubble Space Telescope (9 words)

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Hubble Servicing Mission 4 in Pictures, Part 1

Nancy Atkinson — Mon, 18 May 2009 01:50:20 +0000

The long-awaited Servicing Mission 4 for the Hubble Space Telescope has provided drama, nail-biting excitement, fist-pumping triumphs and 'what else could go wrong now' moments. But the best way to to describe the mission is to let the amazing images from the EVAs do the talking. Below are high-resolution images from NASA, highlighting the first three spacewalks.
(...)
Read the rest of Hubble Servicing Mission 4 in Pictures, Part 1 (856 words)

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Marathon EVA for Hubble Astronauts

Nancy Atkinson — Fri, 15 May 2009 22:09:51 +0000

View from Mike Massimino's helmet camera of Mike Good using the Pistol Grip Tool. Credit: NASA TV

The Hubble Space Telescope kept throwing curveballs at spacewalking astronauts on Friday, but with more elbow grease and a "if at first you don't succeed, try again" attitude they were able to accomplish all the objectives for the second EVA of the repair mission. In what turned out to be the 8th longest spacewalk in US history, Mike Massimino and Mike Good replaced six gyroscopes – two wouldn't fit, so spares had to be used — and four batteries. Both jobs were top priorities for the mission, and will give Hubble the power and control it needs to keep going until at least 2014, hopefully longer.
(...)
Read the rest of Marathon EVA for Hubble Astronauts (416 words)

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Amazing Images of Shuttle and Hubble Transiting Sun

Nancy Atkinson — Fri, 15 May 2009 12:53:05 +0000

No, these aren't sunspots finally appearing on our currently quiet sun. Check out these great images taken by NASA photographer Thierry Legault. The "spots" are actually the space shuttle Atlantis and the Hubble Space Telescope transiting across the sun! Legault's website says these are the only images ever taken of a transit of a shuttle and the HST in front of the Sun. Legault was in Florida at the time he took this image, about 100 km south of the Kennedy Space Center on May 13th 2009 12:17 local time, several minutes before grapple of Hubble by Atlantis. The transit only lasted .8 seconds, and Legault was able to snap 4 images a second, getting a total of 16 different shots of the entire event (he started shooting 2 seconds before the predicted transit.)

He took another image the previous day of just the shuttle transiting (see below.)
(...)
Read the rest of Amazing Images of Shuttle and Hubble Transiting Sun (104 words)

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Camera That Saved Hubble is Replaced

Nancy Atkinson — Fri, 15 May 2009 03:47:34 +0000

The Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 is removed from Hubble. Credit: NASA TV

While mission specialists John Grunsfeld and Drew Feustel successfully accomplished all their tasks for the first EVA of the Hubble servicing mission, it didn't come without a little drama. A stubborn bolt threatened to thwart one of the spacewalk's main goals, replacing the venerable space telescope's workhorse optical camera with a new and improved instrument. But after a fair amount of old fashioned elbow grease, the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 was able to be removed. The camera was originally installed in the first Hubble servicing mission in 1993, and was nicknamed "the camera that saved Hubble" because its special optics were able to overcome the spherical aberration in the telescope's main mirror.

The astronauts also replaced Hubble's data handling computer – the system that relays data to Earth which gave out last September, delaying this servicing mission, (scheduled to launch last October) until a replacement would be ready.
(...)
Read the rest of Camera That Saved Hubble is Replaced (459 words)

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh