Launched into orbit on April 24, 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope has given us incredible images like the ones in this gallery for the past 30 years.
Out of this world
In this image, Hubble has captured the center of galaxy IC 342, enveloped by a spectacularly bright core of hot gas and stars.
Butterfly Nebula
NGC 6302 is nicknamed the ‘Butterfly Nebula’ because of its insect-like appearance. It is one of the most iconic images taken by Hubble in its more than 30-year voyage through space.
Flame Nebula
Instead, in this photo we can admire the wonderful colors of the Flame Nebula, a diffuse nebula in the constellation of Orion, about 1,400 light-years from Earth.
The Gemini constellation
Hubble also scanned stardust in the Gemini constellation. At the center of the image is the light from a massive star, like a lighthouse penetrating the clouds of a thunderstorm.
The cornerstones of creation
The cornerstones of the creation of the Eagle Nebula, another incredible image from Hubble. This is the researchers’ version of the most famous and representative photo of the space telescope.
Quasar tsunami
Using the unique capabilities of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, a team of astronomers has discovered the most energetic streams ever observed in the universe. They emanate from quasars and flow through interstellar space like tsunamis.
Spiral Galaxy
Yet another spectacular image from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. Visible in this image is the spiral galaxy NGC 105, located about 215 million light-years away in the constellation Pisces.
The birth of new stars
Celebrating the 30th anniversary of its journey into space, Hubble delivers one of the images that will go down in NASA history: an extraordinary new portrait of the incredible birth of stars in a nearby galaxy.
Saturn
How about this wonderful image of one of the planets in our solar system, known for its symbolic rings? In this photo you can see the planet Saturn like you’ve never seen it before.
A nearby galaxy
Unbelievable but true: the bright streak you see in the photo is another spiral galaxy very similar to our own Milky Way.
An exoplanet
Hubble is also said to be searching for new worlds as it travels between galaxies, such as this rapidly evaporating extrasolar planet.
Lagoon Nebula
Another shot that made history is that of the Lagoon Nebula, with its incredible colors, an image which Hubble took on its his 28th birthday. It looks like a painting, but it is pure reality, immortalized by the famous Space Telescope, our window into the magical ways of the universe.
