For 20 years, the Hubble Telescope has held human beings in awe, presenting the wonders of the universe in stunning detail. Observation of the oldest galaxy ever detected and images of asteroids colliding in deep space are a few of Hubble’s recent discoveries. Eventually Hubble’s mission will end and in 2014 the bigger, more powerful James Webb Space Telescope will peel back layers of the universe even further.
Most ancient universe ever discovered with Hubble
Hubble Telescope astronomers made an announcement Friday. They said that the oldest object within the universe has been seen now. Based on the New York Times, a universe gave off light that took 13.1 billion years to get to Earth. It was then detected on an image this year from the Hubble. The universe was young then. Only 600 million years old had been how old. Astronomers theorize that the object is among the first stars and galaxies ever born and no longer exists within the form observed by Hubble.
Asteroid impact revealed with Hubble
Last week the Hubble Telescope shot the first photos of an asteroid collision. According the Christian Science Monitor, the pictures will really help. We will be able to view how asteroids, when slammed together, react to one another. The data could help scientists devise a plan to deflect an asteroid that threatens Earth. A speed of 11,200 mph is what astronomers estimate the speed of the crash to be. They also suspect the rocks were between 10 and 16 feet wide. The blast of the two rocks hitting each other was huge. It was just like a small nuclear blast. The larger rock took out the smaller rock turning it into vapor. It then went behind the larger rock as a sort of tail.
The James Webb telescope too
The James Webb Space Telescope is the Hubble Telescope successor. It can be sent 940,000 miles from the earth, which is four times farther than the moon is, to a stable place. Lagrange points are areas in space where gravity from the Sun and Earth intersect. This can be a place where orbit can occur. It’s where the James Webb Space Telescope will be. More could be observed in space with the 2 story tall mirror on the telescope. It will even be in a fixed position with a temperature of absolute zero.
Citations
New York Times
nytimes.com/aponline/2010/10/20/science/space/AP-US-SCI-Oldest-Galaxy.html?_r=4 and partner=rss and emc=rss
Christian Science Monitor
csmonitor.com/Science/2010/1014/Asteroid-collision-possibly-spotted-by-Hubble-telescope
Hubblesite
hubblesite.org
Karlonia
karlonia.com/2010/10/20/deep-space-telescopes/
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