The Hubble Space Telescope

The Hubble Space Telescope is a huge telescope that flies high above Earth. It was sent into space in 1990. Hubble takes clear pictures of stars, planets, and faraway galaxies. Because it is above the clouds, it can see things that telescopes on the ground cannot. Hubble has helped people learn a lot about space.

How Hubble Works

Hubble is about the size of a big school bus. It has a large mirror inside that catches light from space. The light makes a picture that Hubble sends back to Earth. Scientists then look at the pictures on their computers. Hubble moves around Earth very fast. It goes all the way around our planet in about 95 minutes.

A portrait of Lyman Spitzer, the scientist who first dreamed up space telescopes.
A portrait of Lyman Spitzer, the scientist who first dreamed up space telescopes. (NASA APPEL Knowledge Services / Wikimedia Commons)

What Hubble Has Seen

Hubble has taken pictures of many wonderful things. It has seen baby stars being born inside big clouds of gas. It has looked at old stars that are far, far away. Hubble has also shown us other planets and their moons. Its photos help us understand how big and old space really is.

Fun Facts

  • Hubble is named after a famous scientist named Edwin Hubble.
  • It travels around Earth at about 17,000 miles per hour.
  • Astronauts have flown up to fix and upgrade Hubble five times.

Did You Know?

Hubble can see stars that are billions of years old, which means it lets us look back in time!