This brand new Hubble image, celebrating the legendary space telescope's 20th anniversary, shows off the top of a pillar of gas and dust in one of the biggest known regions of star birth in the Milky Way, the Carina Nebula. NASA/ESA/M. Livio and the Hubble 20th Anniversary Team (STScI)
But perhaps the biggest deal in terms of otherworldly beauty is, as usual, the Hubble Space Telescope. The world’s most famous observatory, and perhaps its most famous science project ever, celebrates its 20th anniversary tomorrow, and has released some special images for the occasion. Naturally, they’re spectacularly beautiful, magnificently gorgeous, and strikingly lovely — that is to say, they’re typical Hubble images.
It’s hard to believe Hubble’s entire saga, its myriad photographs and harrowing repair missions, has only taken place over just 20 years. I guess it’s just a sign of my growing age that April 24, 1990, feels like yesterday, when NASA launched the space shuttle and crew of STS-31 to deploy the space telescope, broken equipment and all.
I know at least one of my co-workers here credits Hubble with sparking her interest in the field, and odds are good some of you have other stories or memories. I encourage you to leave a comment about them here, and then share at the official "Messages to Hubble" page, its Facebook page, or tweet with the hashtag #hst20. The Hubble data archive will store these messages along with the scope’s copious scientific data to convey to the future how important Hubble is to everybody.
So enjoy the coming weekend, gaze upon the prettiness of your choice, and help give Hubble the anniversary it deserves!