Hubble Space Telescope
Flagship UV/optical/near-IR observatory above Earth atmosphere.
Overview
Launched in 1990 and repeatedly serviced by astronauts, Hubble has delivered diffraction-limited ultraviolet, optical and near-infrared images above the atmosphere. Its deep fields and precise distance measurements reshaped extragalactic astronomy and cosmology.
Key discoveries
- Hubble Deep Field revealing thousands of early galaxies
- Cepheid measurements refining the Hubble constant
- Evidence for supermassive black holes in galactic nuclei