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The Hubble Space Telescope was launched into orbit on April 24, 1990, aboard the space shuttle Discovery.
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The telescope is named after astronomer Edwin Hubble, who discovered in the 1920s that the universe is expanding.
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The Hubble Space Telescope is the first telescope to be placed in space, allowing it to capture images free from the distortion and interference caused by Earth's atmosphere.
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The Hubble has a primary mirror that is 2.4 meters (about 8 feet) in diameter, allowing it to capture incredibly detailed images of distant celestial objects.
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The telescope orbits Earth at a distance of about 547 miles (880 kilometers) and completes one orbit every 97 minutes.
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The Hubble has made over 1.3 million observations since its launch and has captured over 1 million images.
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The telescope has been used to study a wide range of phenomena in the universe, including the properties of galaxies, stars, and planets, as well as important events such as supernovae and black holes.
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The telescope has been used to study the atmospheres of exoplanets, providing valuable information about the potential for life on these distant worlds.
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The Hubble Space Telescope has been serviced and upgraded by NASA space shuttle missions five times, allowing its instruments to be improved and replaced to keep it operational.
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The Hubble Space Telescope is a collaboration between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) and has made many important discoveries, such as the existence of dark energy and the rate of expansion of the universe.
