The Hubble Space Telescope just turned 30, and it’s working better than ever
Hubble zooms in for an up-close look at star assembly in one of the galaxies orbiting the Milky Way. (NASA, ESA and STScI/)On April 24, 1990, the Space Shuttle Discovery blasted off from Florida with an instrument that would forever divide astronomy into two eras: the time before space telescopes, and the time after. From its perch above Earth’s fuzzy atmosphere, the Hubble Space Telescope has spent three decades peering into the darkness, indiscriminately collecting whatever stray light beams found their way to its giant mirror. From local moons, to distant planets, exploding stars, and far off galaxies, the world’s first and best-known space telescope has snapped images of them all, producing a voluminous gallery topping 1.4 million observations. Now NASA is celebrating the 30th anniversary of Hubble’s launch with one more picture—and it’s a doozy. Taken earlier this year specifically to commemorate the observatory’s milestone, the image captures stars...