Summary
Highlights
To celebrate its 35th anniversary, Hubble premiered four new images. This video presents some of Hubble's key achievements during its 35th year, ranging from observations within our solar system to distant galaxies.
Recent Hubble observations show Jupiter's Great Red Spot wobbling and fluctuating in size. Scientists predict it will continue to shrink and stabilize. Hubble and MAVEN data have also helped measure water escape from Mars's atmosphere, aiding understanding of planetary evolution. The Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy (OPAL) program, celebrating 10 years, uses Hubble to observe the atmospheric dynamics of gas giants, providing insights into exoplanet climates.
Hubble discovered a 'blue lurker' star in cluster M67, spinning much faster than expected due to siphoning material from a companion star. It revisited HM Sagittae, a star system that erupted in a nova 40 years ago, finding expanding clumps and jets of gas, which helps understand binary star evolution. Hubble also provided new details on FU Orionis, a young star whose accretion disk outshone it, offering a front-row seat to dramatic star growth.
Astronomers observed a pair of supermassive black holes in colliding galaxies, orbiting closer than any other confirmed duo, fueled by infalling gas and dust. Hubble surveys mapped the entire disk of the Andromeda Galaxy over a decade, resulting in a 2.5 billion-pixel image. Additionally, Hubble found more black holes in the early universe than previously thought, challenging existing theories and refining our understanding of early universe evolution.
Hubble continues to release an abundance of beautiful images. After 35 years, it consistently expands our knowledge of the cosmos. For more updates, follow NASAHubble on social media.